¨-=/$@@¶## ##¶@@$/=-¨
¨-=/$@@### ###@@$/=-¨
¨-=/$@@¶¶¶ ¶¶¶@@$/=-¨
¨-=/$@@¶## ##¶@@$/=-¨
¨-=/$@@¶## ##¶@@$/=-¨
¨-=//$@@@¶ WINDS ESKER ¶@@@$//=-¨
¨-=/$@@@¶¶ ======================================== ¶¶@@@$/=-¨
¨-=/$@@@@¶ ¶@@@@$/=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=$@@ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS @@$=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨--/@@¶ 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 @$$/--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=$@@¶ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¶@@$=-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-/@¶ ¶@/-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=/$@@¶## ##¶@@$/=-¨
¨¨¨--///@@ @@///--¨¨¨
¨-=/$@¶### ###¶@$/=-¨
¨-=/$@@¶## ##¶@@$/=-¨