£§^~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~^§£
¤£§^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^§£¤
#¤£§^~,,,, ,,,,~^§£¤#
##¤£§^~,,, ,,,~^§£¤##
###¤£§^~,, ,,~^§£¤###
##¤£§^~,,, 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? ,,,,,,~^§£
¤£§^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^§£¤
#¤£§^~,,,, ,,,,~^§£¤#
##¤£§^~,,, ,,,~^§£¤##
###¤£§^~,, ,,~^§£¤###
##¤£§^~,,, ,,,~^§£¤##