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