,,,£££,,££ ,,£,,£,,,,
,,£,,£,£,, ,££,££,,,,
,££,££££,, £,££,£,,,,
£,££,,,£,, ££,£££,,,,
££,£,,££,, ,££,,£,,,£
,£££,£,£,£ 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? ,,,,££,£££
£,,,,,,,£, ,,,£,££,,£
£,,,,,,££, ,,£££,£,£,
£,,,,,£,££ ,£,,££££££
£,,,,£££,£ ££,£,,,,,,
£,,,£,,££, ,£££,,,,,£