@@##%=:~,, ,,~:=%##@@
#@##%=:~,, ,,~:=%##@#
###%==:~,, ,,~:==%###
##%:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:%##
##=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=##
#@##%=:~,, 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? ,,,,~:::%#
###===:~,, ,,~:===###
#@##%=:~,, ,,~:=%##@#
@#=:~,,,,, ,,,,,~:=#@
####%=:~,, ,,~:=%####
#@##%=:~,, ,,~:=%##@#