...-»\%¤£# #£¤%\»-...
..-»\%¤£## ##£¤%\»-..
.-»\%¤£### ###£¤%\»-.
..-»\%¤£## ##£¤%\»-..
...-»\%¤£# #£¤%\»-...
....-»\%¤£ 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? #£¤%\»-...
....-»\%¤£ £¤%\»-....
.....-»\%¤ ¤%\»-.....
......-»\% %\»-......
.....-»\%¤ ¤%\»-.....
....-»\%¤£ £¤%\»-....