¨,=^§@@### ###@@§^=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨=^^§@ @§^^=¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=^@@¶### ###¶@@^=,¨
¨¨¨,,=^@@# #@@^=,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,,^§@¶ ¶@§^,,,¨¨¨
¨,=^§@@¶¶¶ 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? ###@@§^=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,^@¶ ¶@^,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=^§@@¶## ##¶@@§^=,¨
¨,=§@@¶### ###¶@@§=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=§@¶ ¶@§=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=^§@@### ###@@§^=,¨