,.«\*£¤@## ##@¤£*\«.,
,.«\*£¤@## ##@¤£*\«.,
,.«\*£¤@## ##@¤£*\«.,
,.«\*£¤@## ##@¤£*\«.,
,,,,«**¤@@ @@¤**«,,,,
,..««\££@@ 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? ##@¤£*\«.,
,.«\*£¤@## ##@¤£*\«.,
,.«\*£¤@@@ @@@¤£*\«.,
,,,,,,.\*¤ ¤*\.,,,,,,
,.«\*£¤@@# #@@¤£*\«.,
,.«««\**¤@ @¤**\«««.,