#&&§§«.... ....«§§&&#
&§§«...... ......«§§&
&&&§§«.... ....«§§&&&
###&&§*«~. .~«*§&&###
&&&&*«.... ....«*&&&&
#&&*~..... 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? .~«*§&&&&&
&§*«...... ......«*§&
&&&§*«~... ...~«*§&&&
###&&§*«~. .~«*§&&###
###&&§*«~. .~«*§&&###
&&&§§*«~.. ..~«*§§&&&