.,=:†%@@## ##@@%†:=,.
..,=:†%@@# #@@%†:=,..
.,=:†%@@## ##@@%†:=,.
..,=:†%@@# #@@%†:=,..
.,=:†%@@## ##@@%†:=,.
..,=:†%@@# 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? ##@@%†:=,.
..,=:†%@@# #@@%†:=,..
.,=:†%@@## ##@@%†:=,.
..,=:†%@@# #@@%†:=,..
.,=:†%@@## ##@@%†:=,.
..,=:†%@@# #@@%†:=,..