&*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*&
###£&%*~-, ,-~*%&£###
###&%*^~-, ,-~^*%##
##£&%*^~-, ,-~^*%&£##
£££&%*^~-, ,-~^*%&£££
###£%*^~-, 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? ,-~^*%&£##
££&*^~~-,, ,,-~~^*&££
£££&%*^~-, ,-~^*%&£££
##£&%*^~-, ,-~^*%&£##
##£&%*^~-, ,-~^*%&£##
##£&%*^~-, ,-~^*%&£##