†:-,...... ......,-:†
:-,....... .......,-:
-,........ ........,-
:-,....... .......,-:
†:-,...... ......,-:†
$†:-,..... WINDS ESKER .....,-:†$
£$†:-,.... ---------------------------------------- ....,-:†$£
@£$†:-,... ...,-:†$£@
#@£$†:-,.. THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ..,-:†$£@#
##@£$†:-,. I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH .,-:†$£@##
#@£$†:-,.. DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ..,-:†$£@#
@£$†:-,... ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ...,-:†$£@
£$†:-,.... ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ....,-:†$£
$†:-,..... FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY .....,-:†$
†:-,...... 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? ......,-:†
:-,....... .......,-:
-,........ ........,-
:-,....... .......,-:
†:-,...... ......,-:†
$†:-,..... .....,-:†$