,,,,,,~=%% %%=~,,,,,,
,,,,,~=%%¤ ¤%%=~,,,,,
,,,,~=%%¤£ £¤%%=~,,,,
,,,~=%%¤£# #£¤%%=~,,,
,,~=%%¤£## ##£¤%%=~,,
,~=%%¤£### 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? %%=~,,,,,,
,,,,,~=%%¤ ¤%%=~,,,,,
,,,,~=%%¤£ £¤%%=~,,,,
,,,~=%%¤£# #£¤%%=~,,,
,,~=%%¤£## ##£¤%%=~,,
,~=%%¤£### ###£¤%%=~,