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