##£@@$^-~, ,~-^$@@£##
#£@@$^-~,, ,,~-^$@@£#
£@@$^-~,,, ,,,~-^$@@£
@@$^-~,,,, ,,,,~-^$@@
@$^-~,,,,, ,,,,,~-^$@
$^-~,,,,,, WINDS ESKER ,,,,,,~-^$
^-~,,,,,,, ---------------------------------------- ,,,,,,,~-^
-~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~-
~,,,,,,,,, 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? ,,,,,,,~-^
$^-~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~-^$
@$^-~,,,,, ,,,,,~-^$@
@@$^-~,,,, ,,,,~-^$@@
£@@$^-~,,, ,,,~-^$@@£
#£@@$^-~,, ,,~-^$@@£#