##%%^^^~,. .,~^^^%%##
§%^~...... ......~^%§
§%~....... .......~%§
###§%%^~,. .,~^%%§###
#§%~~~~,,. .,,~~~~%§#
#%%%~~.... 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? .,~^%%§###
#%%%%%^~,. .,~^%%%%%#
###§%%^~,. .,~^%%§###
###§%%^~,. .,~^%%§###
###§%%^~,. .,~^%%§###
###§%%^~,. .,~^%%§###