.....:~§¤£ £¤§~:.....
.:~\§¤£@## ##@£¤§\~:.
.:~\§§¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤§§\~:.
......~§¤¤ ¤¤§~......
:~\§¤¤£@## ##@£¤¤§\~:
.:~\§¤¤£@@ 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? #@£¤¤§\~:.
.:~\§¤¤£@# #@£¤¤§\~:.
.:~\§¤¤£@# #@£¤¤§\~:.
.:~\§¤¤£@# #@£¤¤§\~:.
.:~\§¤¤££@ @££¤¤§\~:.
....:\\§¤¤ ¤¤§\\:....