##§§%$;»,, ,,»;$%§§##
####§%;»,, ,,»;%§####
#§$»,,,,,, ,,,,,,»$§#
§%$»»,,,,, ,,,,,»»$%§
§%%%%$;»,, ,,»;$%%%%§
###§%$;»,, WINDS ESKER ,,»;$%§###
#%;»,,,,,, »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ,,,,,,»;%#
###§%$;»,, ,,»;$%§###
##%;,,,,,, 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 ,,,,»$$%##
§$;,,,,,,, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,,,,,,,;$§
#§%%%$;»,, STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,,»;$%%%§#
###§%$;»,, ,,»;$%§###
###§%$;»,, ,,»;$%§###
####%$;»,, ,,»;$%####
###§%$;»,, ,,»;$%§###
§$$»,,,,,, ,,,,,,»$$§