&.&&&..&&. .&&....&&.
&..&&.&.&. ..&...&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. .&&..&&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. ..&.&.&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. .&&.&.&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. 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? .&&.&.&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. ..&.&.&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. .&&.&.&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. ..&.&.&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. .&&.&.&.&.
&.&.&.&.&. ..&.&.&.&.