#@#§%*=~^, ,^~=*%§#@#
@#§%*=~^,, ,,^~=*%§#@
#§%*=~^,,, ,,,^~=*%§#
§%*=~^,,,, ,,,,^~=*%§
#§%*=~^,,, ,,,^~=*%§#
@#§%*=~^,, 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? ,^~=*%§#@#
@#§%*=~^,, ,,^~=*%§#@
#§%*=~^,,, ,,,^~=*%§#
§%*=~^,,,, ,,,,^~=*%§
#§%*=~^,,, ,,,^~=*%§#
@#§%*=~^,, ,,^~=*%§#@