¨:-^§%¤#@@ @@#¤%§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤#@@ @@#¤%§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤¤¤# #¤¤¤%§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤#@# #@#¤%§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤%§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤#@@ 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? #@#¤%§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤#@# #@#¤%§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤#@@ @@#¤%§^-:¨
¨¨¨::^%%¤# #¤%%^::¨¨¨
¨:-^§§§§%¤ ¤%§§§§^-:¨
¨:-^§%¤#@# #@#¤%§^-:¨