¨-~=$¤#¶@# #@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@@ @@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨-~=$¤#¶## ##¶#¤$=~-¨
¨-~~~~=$## ##$=~~~~-¨
¨¨¨--~$#¶@ @¶#$~--¨¨¨
¨-~==$¤#¶¶ WINDS ESKER ¶¶#¤$==~-¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨¨¨¨~~~$#@ @#$~~~¨¨¨¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@# THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS #@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨¨¨¨~~$¤¶@ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH @¶¤$~~¨¨¨¨
¨-~~=$¤¤¤# DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT #¤¤¤$=~~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-=¤# 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. ¶¤$$=-¨¨¨¨
¨-~=$¤#¶## HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ##¶#¤$=~-¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@# MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, #@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨-~=$#¶@## OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ##@¶#$=~-¨
¨¨¨¨~~~~$# ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD #$~~~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~=¤¶ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¶¤=~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@# FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE #@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@@ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. @@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨¨¨-===¤¤¶ ¶¤¤===-¨¨¨
¨-~=$¤¤#¶@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @¶#¤¤$=~-¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@# #@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨-~=$¤¤#¶¶ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¶¶#¤¤$=~-¨
¨¨¨¨--=¤#¶ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¶#¤=--¨¨¨¨
¨-~=$¤#¶@# ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO #@¶#¤$=~-¨
¨------=$# STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? #$=------¨
¨-~=$¤#¶## ##¶#¤$=~-¨
¨¨¨-===$¤# #¤$===-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~$#@ @#$~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~=$$$$#¶ ¶#$$$$=~-¨
¨-~=$¤#¶## ##¶#¤$=~-¨