@**/-.,,,, ,,,,.-/**@
#@@@£*/-., ,.-/*£@@@#
##@@£*/-., ,.-/*£@@##
#@£/-,,,,, ,,,,,-/£@#
@@@@£*/-., ,.-/*£@@@@
##@@£*/-., 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? ,.-/***@@@
###@£*/-., ,.-/*£@###
##@@£*/-., ,.-/*£@@##
##@@£*/-., ,.-/*£@@##
@@@@£*/-., ,.-/*£@@@@
@*/////-., ,.-/////*@