«,........ ........,«
^«,....... .......,«^
$^«,...... ......,«^$
&$^«,..... .....,«^$&
@&$^«,.... ....,«^$&@
@@&$^«,... WINDS ESKER ...,«^$&@@
@@@&$^«,.. «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ..,«^$&@@@
#@@@&$^«,. .,«^$&@@@#
@@@&$^«,.. THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ..,«^$&@@@
@@&$^«,... I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ...,«^$&@@
@&$^«,.... DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ....,«^$&@
&$^«,..... ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN .....,«^$&
$^«,...... ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ......,«^$
^«,....... 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 .......,«^
$^«,...... ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ......,«^$
&$^«,..... I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS .....,«^$&
@&$^«,.... FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ....,«^$&@
@@&$^«,... BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ...,«^$&@@
@@@&$^«,.. ..,«^$&@@@
#@@@&$^«,. «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« .,«^$&@@@#
@@@&$^«,.. ..,«^$&@@@
@@&$^«,... ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ...,«^$&@@
@&$^«,.... BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ....,«^$&@
&$^«,..... ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO .....,«^$&
$^«,...... STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ......,«^$
^«,....... .......,«^
«,........ ........,«
,......... .........,
.......... ..........
,......... .........,