..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### WINDS ESKER ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# KEPT ME AWAY. #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# BLUEBERRIES. #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## AWAY. ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### REMEMBER. ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### GROUND ITSELF. ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# FORK. #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### ###¤$**~-.
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
...-~**$¤# #¤$**~-...
..-~**$¤## ##¤$**~-..
.-~**$¤### ###¤$**~-.