##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##
#@@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@@#
#¤†*~-,,,, ,,,,-~*†¤#
##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†*~-, 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? ,-~*†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†*~-, ,-~*†¤¤@##