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