†--,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,--†
%†--,,,,,, ,,,,,,--†%
@%†--,,,,, ,,,,,--†%@
¤@%†--,,,, ,,,,--†%@¤
#¤@%†--,,, ,,,--†%@¤#
##¤@%†--,, 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? ,,,--†%@¤#
##¤@%†--,, ,,--†%@¤##
###¤@%†--, ,--†%@¤###
##¤@%†--,, ,,--†%@¤##
#¤@%†--,,, ,,,--†%@¤#
¤@%†--,,,, ,,,,--†%@¤