,,,,,~^†§& &§†^~,,,,,
,,,,~^†§ #&§†^~,,,,
,,,~^†§# ##&§†^~,,,
,,~^†§## ###&§†^~,,
,,,~^†§# ##&§†^~,,,
,,,,~^†§ 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? &§†^~,,,,,
,,,,~^†§ #&§†^~,,,,
,,,~^†§# ##&§†^~,,,
,,~^†§## ###&§†^~,,
,,,~^†§# ##&§†^~,,,
,,,,~^†§ #&§†^~,,,,