¤@=†~:,,,, ,,,,:~†=@¤
¶¤@=†~:,,, ,,,:~†=@¤¶
#¶¤@=†~:,, ,,:~†=@¤¶#
##¶¤@=†~:, ,:~†=@¤¶##
#¶¤@=†~:,, ,,:~†=@¤¶#
¶¤@=†~:,,, 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? ,,:~†=@¤¶#
¶¤@=†~:,,, ,,,:~†=@¤¶
¤@=†~:,,,, ,,,,:~†=@¤
@=†~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~†=@
=†~:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:~†=
@=†~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~†=@