,,,.«/$@£@ @£@$/«.,,,
,,,,.«/$@£ £@$/«.,,,,
,,,,,.«/$@ @$/«.,,,,,
,,,,,,.«/$ $/«.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.«/ /«.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.« WINDS ESKER «.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.«/ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« /«.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.«/$ $/«.,,,,,,
,,,,,.«/$@ 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? @£@$/«.,,,
,,,,.«/$@£ £@$/«.,,,,
,,,,,.«/$@ @$/«.,,,,,
,,,,,,.«/$ $/«.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.«/ /«.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.« «.,,,,,,,,