.,-/*$$$§# #§$$$*/-,.
...,///**§ §**///,...
.,-/*$§@## ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§§§@ @§§§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## WINDS ESKER ##@§$*/-,.
....-/$§@@ ---------------------------------------- @@§$/-....
...--/$$§@ @§$$/--...
.,-/*$$$@# THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS #@$$$*/-,.
.....-*$§§ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH §§$*-.....
.,-/*$§@## DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$@### ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ###@$*/-,.
.,-/****$§ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE §$****/-,.
.,-/*$§@## FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## KEPT ME AWAY. ##@§$*/-,.
....,/$§@@ @@§$/,....
.,-/*$§@## WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ##@§$*/-,.
.....--*§# 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 @§*---,...
.,-/*$$§@# ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD #@§$$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$@### ###@$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## ---------------------------------------- ##@§$*/-,.
.,--//$§§@ @§§$//--,.
.,-/*$§### ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ###§$*/-,.
...,,,-/$@ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE @$/-,,,...
....,/*$$§ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO §$$*/,....
.,-/*$§@## STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## ##@§$*/-,.
....--*$$@ @$$*--....
.,-/*$§### ###§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## ##@§$*/-,.
.,-/*$§@## ##@§$*/-,.