,,,,,:\%#@ @#%\:,,,,,
,:~\†%§#@# #@#§%†\~:,
,,,,,~\†§# #§†\~,,,,,
,:~\†%§#@# #@#§%†\~:,
,,,:::\†§§ §§†\:::,,,
,:~\†%§#@# 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? #§§%†\:,,,
,:~\†%§#@@ @@#§%†\~:,
,:~\†%§#@# #@#§%†\~:,
,:~\†%§#@# #@#§%†\~:,
,:~~~~\%§§ §§%\~~~~:,
,:~\†%§### ###§%†\~:,