##¶£%%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%%£¶##
###£%%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%%£###
££%%%«««,¨                                          ¨,«««%%%££
¶%†««,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,««†%¶
##¶£%%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%%£¶##
##¶£%%†«,¨               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?          ¨,«†%%£¶##
#££%†,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,†%££#
£%%%«,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,«%%%£
###£%%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%%£###
###¶£%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%£¶###
£%«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«%£