##@@¤$*~., ,.~*$¤@@##
@$*...,,,, ,,,,...*$@
##@@¤$*~., ,.~*$¤@@##
#@@¤¤$*~., ,.~*$¤¤@@#
#@$~.,,,,, ,,,,,.~$@#
@@¤$***~., WINDS ESKER ,.~***$¤@@
@¤$$**..., ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,...**$$¤@
@@¤¤¤$*~., ,.~*$¤¤¤@@
#@@@¤$*~., THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,.~*$¤@@@#
##@@¤$*~., I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,.~*$¤@@##
#@$*..,,,, DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,,,,..*$@#
#@¤¤$*..,, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,,..*$¤¤@#
##@@¤$*~., ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,.~*$¤@@##
##@@¤$*~., FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ,.~*$¤@@##
@¤¤$$*~,,, TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,,,~*$$¤¤@
@@$$*.,,,, KEPT ME AWAY. ,,,,.*$$@@
###@@¤$~., ,.~$¤@@###
@$*~,,,,,, WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ,,,,,,~*$@
@@@@¤$*~., HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ,.~*$¤@@@@
##@@¤$*~., ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ,.~*$¤@@##
##@@¤$*~., ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ,.~*$¤@@##
@@$~.,,,,, THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ,,,,,.~$@@
##@@¤$*~., ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ,.~*$¤@@##
@@$$**~.., BLUEBERRIES. ,..~**$$@@
##@@¤$*~., ,.~*$¤@@##
##@@¤$*~., WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ,.~*$¤@@##
@¤¤***.,,, 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 ,.~***¤@@@
##@@¤$*~., FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ,.~*$¤@@##
##@@¤$*~., BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ,.~*$¤@@##
@@$$*...., ,....*$$@@
###@@$*~., ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,.~*$@@###
###@¤$*~., ,.~*$¤@###
##@@¤$*~., ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ,.~*$¤@@##
##@@¤$*~., BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,.~*$¤@@##
##@@¤$*~., ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,.~*$¤@@##
#@$***..., STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,...***$@#
@$~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~$@
###@¤$*~., ,.~*$¤@###
##@@¤$*~., ,.~*$¤@@##
@$*.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.*$@
##@@¤$*~., ,.~*$¤@@##