¨~-^%@@£## ##£@@%^-~¨
¨~^%@@£### ###£@@%^~¨
¨~-^%@@£## ##£@@%^-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨-^%@£ £@%^-¨¨¨¨¨
¨~--^^^@@# #@@^^^--~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-%@@ 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? @%-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~-^%@@£## ##£@@%^-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~--%@ @%--~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~-^%@@£## ##£@@%^-~¨
¨~-^%@@£## ##£@@%^-~¨
¨¨¨~---^@£ £@^---~¨¨¨