,--;†%#### ####%†;--,
,,,--†%%## ##%%†--,,,
,--;†%@### ###@%†;--,
,--;†††%@# #@%†††;--,
,--;†%@### ###@%†;--,
,--;†%@### 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? ###@%†;--,
,--;†%@### ###@%†;--,
,-;†%@#### ####@%†;-,
,,,,--;†%@ @%†;--,,,,
,--;†%@### ###@%†;--,
,--;†%@### ###@%†;--,