.~«^%§#### ####§%^«~.
.~«^%§#### ####§%^«~.
.~«^%§#### ####§%^«~.
.~«^%§#### ####§%^«~.
.~«^%%%### ###%%%^«~.
.~«^%§#### 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? ###§§%^«~.
.~«^%§#### ####§%^«~.
.~«^%§§### ###§§%^«~.
.~«%§##### #####§%«~.
.~«%§##### #####§%«~.
.~«^%§#### ####§%^«~.