####¤†*»,, ,,»*†¤####
###¤£†*»,, ,,»*†£¤###
¤££**»,,,, ,,,,»**££¤
¤††*»,,,,, ,,,,,»*††¤
¤¤¤¤£†*»,, ,,»*†£¤¤¤¤
###¤£†*»,, 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? ,,»*†††††¤
###¤£†*»,, ,,»*†£¤###
###¤£†*»,, ,,»*†£¤###
#£†*,,,,,, ,,,,,,*†£#
###¤£†*»,, ,,»*†£¤###
###¤£†*»,, ,,»*†£¤###