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