,.»=%&§£## ##£§&%=».,
,.=%&§£### ###£§&%=.,
,.»=%&§§§# #§§§&%=».,
,,,,.»=&&§ §&&=».,,,,
,.»=%&§£## ##£§&%=».,
,.»=%&§§§§ 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? #§%=.,,,,,
,,,.»==%§£ £§%==».,,,
,.»=%&§£## ##£§&%=».,
,.»=%&§£## ##£§&%=».,
,,,.=%&&££ ££&&%=.,,,
,,,.»%%&§§ §§&%%».,,,