###&%*=«^. .^«=*%&###
##&%*=«^.. ..^«=*%&##
#&%*=«^... ...^«=*%&#
&%*=«^.... ....^«=*%&
%*=«^..... .....^«=*%
&%*=«^.... 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? .....^«=*%
&%*=«^.... ....^«=*%&
#&%*=«^... ...^«=*%&#
##&%*=«^.. ..^«=*%&##
###&%*=«^. .^«=*%&###
##&%*=«^.. ..^«=*%&##