#¤$%*~.,,, ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, WINDS ESKER ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, KEPT ME AWAY. ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, BLUEBERRIES. ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., AWAY. ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, REMEMBER. ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, GROUND ITSELF. ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, FORK. ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,,,,.~*%$¤
#¤$%*~.,,, STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,,,.~*%$¤#
##¤$%*~.,, ,,.~*%$¤##
###¤$%*~., ,.~*%$¤###
##¤$%*~.,, ,,.~*%$¤##
#¤$%*~.,,, ,,,.~*%$¤#
¤$%*~.,,,, ,,,,.~*%$¤