,~«^^§§§@@ @@§§§^^«~,
,~«^§@#@## ##@#@§^«~,
,~«^§£@#@@ @@#@£§^«~,
,~«^§£@### ###@£§^«~,
,,,,,,«§@@ @@§«,,,,,,
,~«^§£@### 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? #@#@£§^«~,
,~«^§£@#@@ @@#@£§^«~,
~«^§£@#@## ##@#@£§^«~
,~«««§££@@ @@££§«««~,
,,,,,~«§@@ @@§«~,,,,,
,~«^§£@#@@ @@#@£§^«~,