@@§^==««,¨ ¨,««==^§@@
§@^^=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=^^@§
##@§@^=«,¨ ¨,«=^@§@##
##@§@^=«,¨ ¨,«=^@§@##
##@§@^=«,¨ ¨,«=^@§@##
#@@=«,,¨¨¨ 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? ¨,«=^@§@##
##@§@^=«,¨ ¨,«=^@§@##
#§§@=«¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨«=@§§#
§@=,,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,,=@§
@§@=,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,=@§@
@§^=««¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨««=^§@