,--=%@¤### ###¤@%=--,
,,,,,--%@£ £@%--,,,,,
,-----=%%¤ ¤%%=-----,
,--=%@£### ###£@%=--,
,--=%@¤### ###¤@%=--,
,--=%@¤£## 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? ##£¤@%=--,
,--=%@@¤£# #£¤@@%=--,
,--=%@¤### ###¤@%=--,
,--=%@¤£## ##£¤@%=--,
,--=%@¤¤££ ££¤¤@%=--,
,,,----%@£ £@%----,,,