....»»^%@@ @@%^»»....
.~»:^@¶@## ##@¶@^:»~.
.~»:^^^^@¶ ¶@^^^^:»~.
.~»:^%@¶@# #@¶@%^:»~.
.~»:^%@¶@@ @@¶@%^:»~.
....~::^%@ 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? @@@^::~...
.~»:^%@¶@# #@¶@%^:»~.
.~»:^@¶@## ##@¶@^:»~.
.~»:^%¶@## ##@¶%^:»~.
.~»:^%@¶@@ @@¶@%^:»~.
.~»:^%@¶@# #@¶@%^:»~.