##&&&^:~~. .~~:^&&#
#&::~..... .....~::
#&&^^~~... ...~~^^&
&&^:~..... .....~:^&&
###&&^:~~. .~~:^&##
###&&^:~~. 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? ..~~~::&
###&&^:~~. .~~:^&##
###&&^:~~. .~~:^&##
&&::::~... ...~::::&&
####&&:~~. .~~:&###
###&&^:~~. .~~:^&##