....-^$$¤¤ ¤¤$$^-....
.--^$£¤### ###¤£$^--.
--^$£¤#### ####¤£$^--
......-^£# #£^-......
.--^$£¤### ###¤£$^--.
.--^$£¤### WINDS ESKER ###¤£$^--.
.....---$¤ ---------------------------------------- ¤$---.....
.--^$£¤### ###¤£$^--.
....-^^£¤# 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 #£££^-....
.--^$£¤### STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ###¤£$^--.
.--^$£¤### ###¤£$^--.
....----$¤ ¤$----....
.....-^$£# #£$^-.....
.--^$£¤### ###¤£$^--.
.--^$£#### ####£$^--.