¨--†^%#### ####%^†--¨
¨--†^%#¶## ##¶#%^†--¨
¨--†^%¶### ###¶%^†--¨
¨--†^%#¶## ##¶#%^†--¨
¨¨¨¨---^## ##^---¨¨¨¨
¨¨---†^%%# 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? #%†††-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-†††%%# #%%†††-¨¨¨
¨--†^%%### ###%%^†--¨
¨--†^%#¶## ##¶#%^†--¨
¨¨¨--^^%## ##%^^--¨¨¨
¨--†^%#### ####%^†--¨