%^=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=^%
§%^=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=^%§
£§%^=~,,,, ,,,,~=^%§£
££§%^=~,,, ,,,~=^%§££
#££§%^=~,, ,,~=^%§££#
##££§%^=~, 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? ,,~=^%§££#
##££§%^=~, ,~=^%§££##
#££§%^=~,, ,,~=^%§££#
££§%^=~,,, ,,,~=^%§££
£§%^=~,,,, ,,,,~=^%§£
§%^=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=^%§