,-~*§@@@@¶ ¶@@@@§*~-,
,,,,,--*@¤ ¤@*--,,,,,
,-~*§@¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤@§*~-,
,-~***@@¤¶ ¶¤@@***~-,
,-~*§@¤¶## ##¶¤@§*~-,
,-~*§@¤¶## 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? ##¶¤@§*~-,
,,,,-**§¤# #¤§**-,,,,
,-~***@¤¤# #¤¤@***~-,
,-~*§@¤¶## ##¶¤@§*~-,
,-~*§@¤¶¶# #¶¶¤@§*~-,
,-~*§@¤¶## ##¶¤@§*~-,