¨¨¨¨¨¨.:¤# #¤:.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨=**#@ @#**=¨¨¨¨¨
¨.=:*¤#@## ##@#¤*:=.¨
¨.=:*¤#@## ##@#¤*:=.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.::¤@ @¤::.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.:*¤#@### 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? ###@¤*:=.¨
¨.=:*¤#@## ##@#¤*:=.¨
¨.=:*¤#@## ##@#¤*:=.¨
¨.=:*¤#@## ##@#¤*:=.¨
¨.=:*¤#@## ##@#¤*:=.¨
¨.=:*¤¤¤## ##¤¤¤*:=.¨