,,~=:%£¤@# #@¤£%:=~,,
,,,~=:%£¤@ @¤£%:=~,,,
,,,,~=:%£¤ ¤£%:=~,,,,
,,,,,~=:%£ £%:=~,,,,,
,,,,~=:%£¤ ¤£%:=~,,,,
,,,~=:%£¤@ 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? ¤£%:=~,,,,
,,,~=:%£¤@ @¤£%:=~,,,
,,~=:%£¤@# #@¤£%:=~,,
,~=:%£¤@## ##@¤£%:=~,
,,~=:%£¤@# #@¤£%:=~,,
,,,~=:%£¤@ @¤£%:=~,,,