..,-;*§£## ##£§*;-,..
.,-;*§£### ###£§*;-,.
..,-;*§£## ##£§*;-,..
...,-;*§£# #£§*;-,...
..,-;*§£## ##£§*;-,..
.,-;*§£### 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? ##£§*;-,..
.,-;*§£### ###£§*;-,.
..,-;*§£## ##£§*;-,..
...,-;*§£# #£§*;-,...
..,-;*§£## ##£§*;-,..
.,-;*§£### ###£§*;-,.