,-=^$$¤¶## ##¶¤$$^=-,
,-=^$$¤¶## ##¶¤$$^=-,
,-=^$$¤¶## ##¶¤$$^=-,
,-=^$$$$¶¶ ¶¶$$$$^=-,
,,,--=^^$¤ ¤$^^=--,,,
,-=^$$¤### 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 ##¶¤$$^=-,
,,,,,,,=$¤ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¤$=,,,,,,,
,-=^$$$¤¶¶ ¶¶¤$$$^=-,
,-=^$$¤### ###¤$$^=-,
,,,,-^$$¶# #¶$$^-,,,,
,-=^$$¤¶## ##¶¤$$^=-,
,-=^$$¤¤¶# #¶¤¤$$^=-,