.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$£@### ###@£$=«,.
.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
...,,«=*£# 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, @*=,,.....
.,«=$*£@## THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ##@£*$=«,.
.,««««==$£ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE £$==««««,.
.,«=$*£@## FORK. ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$**££@ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. @££**$=«,.
....,=$£@@ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. @@£$=,....
.,«=$£@### HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ###@£$=«,.
...«««$$£@ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, @£$$«««...
.,«=$*£@## OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ##@£*$=«,.
.,««==$£££ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD £££$==««,.
.,«=$*£### I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ###£*$=«,.
.,«=$$*££# FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE #££*$$=«,.
.,«=$*££@@ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. @@££*$=«,.
.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$*£@@# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #@@£*$=«,.
.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
..,,,=$££# ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN #££$=,,,..
.,«=$*£@## BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$*£### ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ###£*$=«,.
....,===$£ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? £$===,....
.,«=*£@### ###@£*=«,.
.,«=$*£@## ##@£*$=«,.
.,«=$*£@@@ @@@£*$=«,.
.,«$*£@### ###@£*$«,.
.,«=$*£@@# #@@£*$=«,.