.&.......& ..........
...&&&&&.. &&&&&&&&&&
.&..&&&..& &&&&&&&&&.
.....&.... .&&&&&&&..
&&&&...&&. ..&&&&&..&
&&&..&.... 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? &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&