#@#@%=†=:¨ ¨:=†=%@#@#
#%====¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨====%#
#@#@%=†=:¨ ¨:=†=%@#@#
@@=†:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::†=@@
#%††::¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨::††%#
#@==::¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨:=†=%@#@#
#@#@%=†=:¨ ¨:=†=%@#@#
#@#@%=†=:¨ ¨:=†=%@#@#
###@%=†=:¨ ¨:=†=%@###
@@%†=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=†%@@
@#@@%=†=:¨ ¨:=†=%@@#@