¨.»/$£&@## ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$££&@# #@&££$/».¨
¨./$£&@### ###@&£$/.¨
¨¨¨¨.»$$£@ @£$$».¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.»/$& &$/».¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨..///$&# WINDS ESKER #&$///..¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨./$$& »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» &$$/.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.»$££&@ @&££$».¨¨¨
¨.»/$£&@## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@## I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@## DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&&&@ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN @&&&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@## ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@## FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&### TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ###&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&### KEPT ME AWAY. ###&£$/».¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./$& &$/.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»/$£&@## WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ##@&£$/».¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»$& HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST &$»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»/$£&@@# ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN #@@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@## ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ##@&£$/».¨
¨¨¨¨./$&&& THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND &&&$/.¨¨¨¨
¨.»/$£&@## ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@## BLUEBERRIES. ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@@@ @@@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&@## WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ##@&£$/».¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»$& NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE &$»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»$£&@### SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ###@&£$».¨
¨.»/$£&@## DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ##@&£$/».¨
¨¨¨./$$££& WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD &££$$/.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.»/£@# 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 @£//..¨¨¨¨
¨.»/$£&@## ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ##@&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&### STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ###&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£&### ###&£$/».¨
¨.»/$£@### ###@£$/».¨
¨¨¨.//$&@@ @@&$//.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨../££@ @££/..¨¨¨¨
¨.»/$£&@## ##@&£$/».¨