,^=\%@¶### ###¶@%\=^,
,,,^\\\%%@ @%%\\\^,,,
,^=\%%@¶## ##¶@%%\=^,
,^=\%%@¶## ##¶@%%\=^,
,,,,^\%@@¶ ¶@@%\^,,,,
,^=\%%@¶## 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? @%%%=^,,,,
,^=\%%¶### ###¶%%\=^,
,^=\%%@¶## ##¶@%%\=^,
,^=\%%@¶## ##¶@%%\=^,
,^=\%%%%%@ @%%%%%\=^,
,^=\%%@¶## ##¶@%%\=^,