####£*†*,¨ ¨,*†*£####
###£*†*,¨¨ ¨¨,*†*£###
##£*†*,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,*†*£##
###£*†*,¨¨ ¨¨,*†*£###
####£*†*,¨ ¨,*†*£####
###£*†*,¨¨ 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? ¨,*†*£####
###£*†*,¨¨ ¨¨,*†*£###
##£*†*,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,*†*£##
###£*†*,¨¨ ¨¨,*†*£###
####£*†*,¨ ¨,*†*£####
###£*†*,¨¨ ¨¨,*†*£###