##£¤*=*~-, ,-~*=*¤£##
##£¤*=*~-, ,-~*=*¤£##
£¤¤*=*~,,, ,,,~*=*¤¤£
###¤*=*~-, ,-~*=*¤###
##£¤*=*~-, ,-~*=*¤£##
¤***~-,,,, 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? ,,,,,,~*=¤
#¤=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=¤#
¤=~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~=¤
##£¤*=*~-, ,-~*=*¤£##
¤=*-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-*=¤
##£¤*=*~-, ,-~*=*¤£##