~^........ ........^~
=~^....... .......^~=
==~^...... ......^~==
%==~^..... .....^~==%
§%==~^.... ....^~==%§
#§%==~^... 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? ....^~==%§
#§%==~^... ...^~==%§#
@#§%==~^.. ..^~==%§#@
#@#§%==~^. .^~==%§#@#
@#§%==~^.. ..^~==%§#@
#§%==~^... ...^~==%§#