.:-:$$¤@## ##@¤$$:-:.
...:-$$$$¤ ¤$$$$-:...
...:-$$$$¤ ¤$$$$-:...
.:-:$$¤@## ##@¤$$:-:.
.....-$¤¤¤ ¤¤¤$-.....
....::$$¤# 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 ##@¤$$:-:.
....-$$$$¤ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¤$$$$-....
.:-:$$¤### ###¤$$:-:.
.:-:$$¤@## ##@¤$$:-:.
.....-:$@# #@$:-.....
......-:$@ @$:-......
...:::$¤@# #@¤$:::...