,,~;%&¤¶¶¶ ¶¶¶¤&%;~,,
,,,~;%%&¤¤ ¤¤&%%;~,,,
,,~;%&¤¤¶# #¶¤¤&%;~,,
,,~;%&¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤&%;~,,
,,~;%&¤¶## ##¶¤&%;~,,
,,~;%&¤¤¤¶ 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? ##¶¤&%;~,,
,,~;%&¤¶## ##¶¤&%;~,,
,,,~~~;&¤# #¤&;~~~,,,
,,~;%&¤¶## ##¶¤&%;~,,
,,~;%&¤¶## ##¶¤&%;~,,
,~;%&¤¶### ###¶¤&%;~,