¤%%:,..... .....,:%%¤
¤¤%«,..... .....,«%¤¤
¤%::,..... .....,::%¤
#@¤::::«,. .,«::::¤@#
#@@¤¤%:«,. .,«:%¤¤@@#
¤%%«,..... 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? .,«:¤¤@###
##@¤¤%:«,. .,«:%¤¤@##
##@¤¤%:«,. .,«:%¤¤@##
@¤¤¤%%:«,. .,«:%%¤¤¤@
@¤%«,,.... ....,,«%¤@
##@¤¤%:«,. .,«:%¤¤@##