,~:§%¤#@## ##@#¤%§:~,
,,~:§%¤#@@ @@#¤%§:~,,
,,,,~:§%%# #%%§:~,,,,
,,~:§%#@## ##@#%§:~,,
,,~:§%%%%# #%%%%§:~,,
,,~:§%¤#@@ 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? @@#¤%§:~,,
,,~:§%¤#@# #@#¤%§:~,,
,,~:§%%%#@ @#%%%§:~,,
,,,,,~~:%¤ ¤%:~~,,,,,
,,~:§%¤#@# #@#¤%§:~,,
,,~:§%¤#@@ @@#¤%§:~,,