,-«:*¤£### ###£¤*:«-,
,,,--:*¤¤¤ ¤¤¤*:--,,,
,-«:*&&¤£# #£¤&&*:«-,
,,,,--:*¤£ £¤*:--,,,,
,-«:*&¤£## ##£¤&*:«-,
,-«:*&£### 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? £¤&:-,,,,,
,,,,-«:&&¤ ¤&&:«-,,,,
,-«:*&¤£## ##£¤&*:«-,
,,,,,«*&¤¤ ¤¤&*«,,,,,
,,,,,,,«*¤ ¤*«,,,,,,,
,-«:*&¤£££ £££¤&*:«-,