##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, WINDS ESKER ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, KEPT ME AWAY. ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, BLUEBERRIES. ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, AWAY. ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, REMEMBER. ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, GROUND ITSELF. ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, FORK. ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, ,,,:«†$¤¤#
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
###¤¤$†«:, ,:«†$¤¤###
##¤¤$†«:,, ,,:«†$¤¤##
#¤¤$†«:,,, ,,,:«†$¤¤#