,,,,,»$@@£ £@@$»,,,,,
,,,,.:@¤¤# #¤¤@:.,,,,
,,,,..»»$¤ ¤$»»..,,,,
,,,,»$$¤¤£ £¤¤$$»,,,,
,.»:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:».,
,,,»»»:@¤¤ 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 £¤@$$»,,,,
,,,,,»:@¤£ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, £¤@:»,,,,,
,,,..»»:$¤ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ¤$:»»..,,,
,...::$@@¤ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¤@@$::...,
,.»:$@¤£## I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ##£¤@$:».,
,.»:$@@@¤# FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE #¤@@@$:».,
,.»:$@¤£## BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ##£¤@$:».,
,....::@¤# #¤@::....,
,.»:$@¤££# »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #££¤@$:».,
,.»:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:».,
,.»:$@¤### ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ###¤@$:».,
,,,,,,»$¤£ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE £¤$»,,,,,,
,.»:$@¤¤£# ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO #£¤¤@$:».,
,.»:$@¤££# STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? #££¤@$:».,
,.»:$@¤£££ £££¤@$:».,
,.»:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:».,
,.»:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:».,
,.»:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:».,
,,,.»$$¤£# #£¤$$».,,,