.,»;%§¶### ###¶§%;»,.
..,»;%§¶## ##¶§%;»,..
...,»;%§¶# #¶§%;»,...
..,»;%§¶## ##¶§%;»,..
.,»;%§¶### ###¶§%;»,.
..,»;%§¶## 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? ###¶§%;»,.
..,»;%§¶## ##¶§%;»,..
...,»;%§¶# #¶§%;»,...
..,»;%§¶## ##¶§%;»,..
.,»;%§¶### ###¶§%;»,.
..,»;%§¶## ##¶§%;»,..