,,,,~~$@£# #£@$~~,,,,
,,,,,^\\@£ £@\\^,,,,,
,^~\$@&£## ##£&@$\~^,
,^~\@&£### ###£&@\~^,
,,,^~~~$ #&$~~~^,,,
,^^^^^~\@£ WINDS ESKER £@\~^^^^^,
,^~$@&£### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ###£&@$~^,
,^~\$@&£## ##£&@$\~^,
,^~\$@&£## 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 ##£&@$\~^,
,,,,,,^\@£ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? £@\^,,,,,,
,,,,^^^~$& &$~^^^,,,,
,,,,,^~$@£ £@$~^,,,,,
,^~\$@&£## ##£&@$\~^,
,^~\$@&£££ £££&@$\~^,
,^~\$@&£## ##£&@$\~^,