##£#&*=«,, ,,«=*&#£##
££&*=,,,,, ,,,,,=*&££
##£#&*=«,, ,,«=*&#£##
##£#&*=«,, ,,«=*&#£##
##£#&*=«,, ,,«=*&#£##
##£#&*=«,, 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? ,,«=*&#£##
##£#&*=«,, ,,«=*&#£##
££#*«,,,,, ,,,,,«*#££
##£#&*=«,, ,,«=*&#£##
#&**«,,,,, ,,,,,«**&#
##&***=«,, ,,«=***&##