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