.......~-^ ^-~.......
......~-^* *^-~......
.....~-^*% %*^-~.....
....~-^*%£ £%*^-~....
...~-^*%£# #£%*^-~...
..~-^*%£## 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? ..........
.......... ..........
.........~ ~.........
........~- -~........
.......~-^ ^-~.......
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