####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####
##$§§§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§§§$##
#####§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§#####
####$§†=~¨                WINDS ESKER               ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨ ======================================== ¨~=†§$####
#$†=~~~~¨¨                                          ¨¨~~~~=†$#
###$$§†=~¨ THERE WAS  THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨~=†§$$###
#$†=~¨¨¨¨¨ I COULDN'T  GO TO. REGARDLESS  HOW  MUCH ¨¨¨¨¨~=†$#
####$§†=~¨ DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS,  OR  POINTED OUT ¨~=†§$####
#$§†~¨¨¨¨¨ ON  MAPS, I COULD NOT  THINK  OF IT WHEN ¨¨¨¨¨~†§$#
####$§†=~¨ ALONE.  I  WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL PAST THE ¨~=†§$####
##$†=~¨¨¨¨ FORK,  WHERE  A RIGHT  TURN WOULD SURELY ¨¨¨¨~=†$##
####$§†=~¨ TAKE ME  THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨              KEPT ME AWAY.               ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨ WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT THERE,  AFTER  SOME ¨~=†§$####
#$§§§§†=~¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨~=†§§§§$#
####$§†=~¨ ASSUME,  THE   PLACE   WAS  SURREAL.  AN ¨~=†§$####
##§†~~¨¨¨¨ 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?          ¨¨¨¨=†§§##
####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####
####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####
##§§==¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨==§§##
####$§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§$####