.~-;§&¤¶@# #@¶¤&§;-~.
.~-;§&¤¶¶¶ ¶¶¶¤&§;-~.
.~-;§&¤¶@# #@¶¤&§;-~.
.~;§&¤¶@## ##@¶¤&§;~.
.......-§¤ ¤§-.......
.~-;§&¤¶@@ 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? ¶&;--.....
.....~-;§¤ ¤§;-~.....
.~-;§&¤¤¤¶ ¶¤¤¤&§;-~.
.~-;§&&&¤¶ ¶¤&&&§;-~.
.~-;§&¤¶@# #@¶¤&§;-~.
.~-;§&¤¶## ##¶¤&§;-~.