###§@%;=^, ,^=;%@§###
##§@%;=^,, ,,^=;%@§##
#§@%;=^,,, ,,,^=;%@§#
§@%;=^,,,, ,,,,^=;%@§
@%;=^,,,,, ,,,,,^=;%@
%;=^,,,,,, 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? ,,,,,^=;%@
%;=^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^=;%
@%;=^,,,,, ,,,,,^=;%@
§@%;=^,,,, ,,,,^=;%@§
#§@%;=^,,, ,,,^=;%@§#
##§@%;=^,, ,,^=;%@§##