@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ WINDS ESKER ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ KEPT ME AWAY. ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ BLUEBERRIES. ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ AWAY. ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ REMEMBER. ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ GROUND ITSELF. ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ FORK. ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨,-^%$§@#
##@§$%^-,¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨,-^%$§@##
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨¨,-^%$§@#
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
$%^-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%$
§$%^-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-^%$§
@§$%^-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-^%$§@
#@§$%^-,¨¨ ¨¨,-^%$§@#