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