@#§*/-^,,, ,,,^-/*§#@
#§*/-^,,,, ,,,,^-/*§#
§*/-^,,,,, ,,,,,^-/*§
*/-^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^-/*
/-^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^-/
-^,,,,,,,, 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? ,,,^-/*§#@
#§*/-^,,,, ,,,,^-/*§#
§*/-^,,,,, ,,,,,^-/*§
*/-^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^-/*
/-^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^-/
-^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^-