¨¨¨¨,--%%# #%%--,¨¨¨¨
¨,-:%%#### ####%%:-,¨
¨,-:%%%%%# #%%%%%:-,¨
¨¨¨¨-%%%%# #%%%%-¨¨¨¨
¨,--::%### ###%::--,¨
¨,-:%%#### 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? ####%%:-,¨
¨,--::%%%# #%%%::--,¨
¨¨¨,---%%# #%%---,¨¨¨
¨,-:%%#### ####%%:-,¨
¨,-:%%#### ####%%:-,¨
¨¨¨,,-%%%# #%%%-,,¨¨¨