¨,»:^*££@# #@££*^:»,¨
¨,,»:^^**£ £**^^:»,,¨
¨,»:^****£ £****^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,:^£@ @£^:,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@@ @@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*£££@ WINDS ESKER @£££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»^££ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ££^»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨»^**£ £**^»¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*£££@ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS @£££*^:»,¨
¨,»»::*£££ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH £££*::»»,¨
¨¨¨¨,::*££ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ££*::,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,:^£ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN £^:,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,:*£ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE £*:,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»^£££ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY £££^»,¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££££ KEPT ME AWAY. ££££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££££ ££££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨,,»^££@ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME @££^»,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»^*£ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST £*^»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^***£@ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND @£***^:»,¨
¨,»::^^^££ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ££^^^::»,¨
¨,»:^*££## BLUEBERRIES. ##££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^^^£££ £££^^^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@@ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO @@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^££@## NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ##@££^:»,¨
¨,»:^*£@## SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ##@£*^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»^^£ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY £^^»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨,,,,::*£ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD £*::,,,,¨¨
¨»:^*££@## STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ##@££*^:»¨
¨,»:^*££@# BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND #@££*^:»,¨
¨,,,::*££@ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY @££*::,,,¨
¨¨¨¨,»^*££ WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ££*^»,¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# #@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨,»:^^*£ THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS £*^^:»,¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND #@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨,,::*£@ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED @£*::,,¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN #@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨,,»^££ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ££^»,,¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE #@££*^:»,¨
¨¨,»:^^^££ IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ££^^^:»,¨¨
¨,»:^*££@@ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES @@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^££@## AWAY. ##@££^:»,¨
¨,»:^*£££@ @£££*^:»,¨
¨¨,,:::^££ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ££^:::,,¨¨
¨¨¨¨,:^^*£ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, £*^^:,¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@@ FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T @@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨»^^££ REMEMBER. ££^^»¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^***££ ££***^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨,:**££ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ££**:,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨»»»^£££ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME £££^»»»¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££££ OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ££££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH #@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨»»^^££ THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ££^^»»¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»^**££ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ££**^»,¨¨¨
¨,»:::^**£ GROUND ITSELF. £**^:::»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,:*£@ @£*:,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,»^££@ SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE @££^»,,¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££££ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ££££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^££@## THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ##@££^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨»^£££ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE £££^»¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# FORK. #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*£@## ##@£*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££££ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ££££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@@ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD @@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨»^^££ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ££^^»¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*£@## FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##@£*^:»,¨
¨,,,::^**£ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. £**^::,,,¨
¨¨¨¨,»^^*£ £*^^»,¨¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^*££@# #@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨¨»:***£ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN £***:»¨¨¨¨
¨,»»»»:**£ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE £**:»»»»,¨
¨,»:^^**£@ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO @£**^^:»,¨
¨¨,,,:*££@ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? @££*:,,,¨¨
¨,»:^*££@# #@££*^:»,¨
¨¨¨»»:^**£ £**^:»»¨¨¨
¨¨¨,:^***£ £***^:,¨¨¨
¨,»:^*££@@ @@££*^:»,¨
¨,»:^££@## ##@££^:»,¨