=»-....... .......-»=
$=»-...... ......-»=$
&$=»-..... .....-»=$&
@&$=»-.... ....-»=$&@
@@&$=»-... ...-»=$&@@
#@@&$=»-.. WINDS ESKER ..-»=$&@@#
##@@&$=»-. »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» .-»=$&@@##
#@@&$=»-.. ..-»=$&@@#
@@&$=»-... THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ...-»=$&@@
@&$=»-.... I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ....-»=$&@
&$=»-..... DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT .....-»=$&
$=»-...... ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ......-»=$
=»-....... 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. ........-»
=»-....... .......-»=
$=»-...... »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ......-»=$
&$=»-..... .....-»=$&
@&$=»-.... ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ....-»=$&@
@@&$=»-... BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ...-»=$&@@
#@@&$=»-.. ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ..-»=$&@@#
##@@&$=»-. STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? .-»=$&@@##
#@@&$=»-.. ..-»=$&@@#
@@&$=»-... ...-»=$&@@
@&$=»-.... ....-»=$&@
&$=»-..... .....-»=$&
$=»-...... ......-»=$