.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# WINDS ESKER #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# KEPT ME AWAY. #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# BLUEBERRIES. #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## AWAY. ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# REMEMBER. #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# GROUND ITSELF. #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# FORK. #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..
.~«;$@@¶## ##¶@@$;«~.
..~«;$@@¶# #¶@@$;«~..