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