,,-=%¤¤### ###¤¤%=-,,
,,,---=%¤# #¤%=---,,,
,,,,-%¤¤¤# #¤¤¤%-,,,,
,,-=%¤¤### ###¤¤%=-,,
,,-=%¤#### ####¤%=-,,
,,,,,-=¤¤¤ 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? ###¤¤%=-,,
,,-====¤¤¤ ¤¤¤====-,,
,,,,,=%¤## ##¤%=,,,,,
,,-=%%%%¤¤ ¤¤%%%%=-,,
,,-=%¤¤### ###¤¤%=-,,
,,-=%¤¤¤## ##¤¤¤%=-,,