¨,~;$@@#@@ @@#@@$;~,¨
¨¨¨,,;$##@ @##$;,,¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## WINDS ESKER ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#### ####@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨,~$$#@# I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH #@#$$~,¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨~~~$@@# ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE #@@$~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~$$#@ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY @#$$~,¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## KEPT ME AWAY. ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$#@### ###@#$;~,¨
¨,,~;$@#@@ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME @@#@$;~,,¨
¨,~;$@#@## HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨,,;@@@@ 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. @@;;;,,,,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~$@@ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF @@$~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$$$@@@ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME @@@$$$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## GROUND ITSELF. ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~~$# SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE #$~~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@@# NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I #@@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨~$@@@# SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, #@@@$~¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@@@ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE @@@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$### FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ###$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## FORK. ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨,,;$@@@@ @@@@$;,,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$$@# AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. #@$$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@@### HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ###@@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨,,~$## MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ##$~,,¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@@### OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ###@@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨,,,~~$#@ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS @#$~~,,,¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$@@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @@$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@@@@@ @@@@@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$#@# ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN #@#$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨,~;$@@ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO @@$;~,¨¨¨¨
¨,~;$@#@## STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;@#@### ###@#@;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨,~;$@#@## ##@#@$;~,¨
¨¨¨¨,~$$$# #$$$~,¨¨¨¨