..-†*%§£## ##£§%*†-..
...-†*%§£# #£§%*†-...
..-†*%§£## ##£§%*†-..
...-†*%§£# #£§%*†-...
..-†*%§£## ##£§%*†-..
...-†*%§£# 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? ##£§%*†-..
...-†*%§£# #£§%*†-...
..-†*%§£## ##£§%*†-..
...-†*%§£# #£§%*†-...
..-†*%§£## ##£§%*†-..
...-†*%§£# #£§%*†-...