...~~^^^$¤ ¤$^^^~~...
.,~^^^^^¤@ @¤^^^^^~,.
.,~^^$¤@@@ @@@¤$^^~,.
...~~~^$¤@ @¤$^~~~...
.,~~~^$¤@@ @@¤$^~~~,.
.,~^^$¤¤@@ WINDS ESKER @@¤¤$^^~,.
....~^^¤@@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @@¤^^~....
.,~^^$¤@@# #@@¤$^^~,.
.,~^^$¤@## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##@¤$^^~,.
...,^^$$$¤ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¤$$$^^,...
.....~~^$¤ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ¤$^~~.....
...,^^$$$@ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN @$$$^^,...
.,~^^$¤@@@ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE @@@¤$^^~,.
....,^^$¤@ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY @¤$^^,....
.,~^^$¤@@# TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING #@@¤$^^~,.
.,~^^$¤@@# KEPT ME AWAY. #@@¤$^^~,.
.,~^^$¤@@# #@@¤$^^~,.
......~^^¤ 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 @@¤$$^^~,.
......~^$¤ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¤$^~......
.,~^$¤@@## STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ##@@¤$^~,.
.......~^¤ ¤^~.......
.,~^^$¤@@# #@@¤$^^~,.
.,~^^$¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤$^^~,.
.,~^^$¤@@# #@@¤$^^~,.
......,^^¤ ¤^^,......