#@#&@=^«^, ,^«^=@&#@#
#&&@^««^,, ,,^««^@&&#
#@#&@=^«^, ,^«^=@&#@#
&&&==«««^, ,^«««==&&&
##@&@=^«^, ,^«^=@&@##
@@#&@=^«^, 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? ,^«^=@&@##
#@#&@=^«^, ,^«^=@&#@#
###&@=^«^, ,^«^=@&###
#@^^^«,,,, ,,,,«^^^@#
#@#&@=^«^, ,^«^=@&#@#
&&==^«,,,, ,,,,«^==&&