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