§§%**»»¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨»»**%§§
@@@§%*†»^¨                                          ¨^»†*%§@@@
@§%%††»^¨¨                                          ¨¨^»††%%§@
@%*†††»¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨»†††*%@
@@@§%*†»^¨                                          ¨^»†*%§@@@
@@@§%*†»^¨                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?          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»*§
#@@§%*†»^¨                                          ¨^»†*%§@@#
§***»»¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨»»***§
##@§%*†»^¨                                          ¨^»†*%§@##
@@@§%*†»^¨                                          ¨^»†*%§@@@
@§§**»»»^¨                                          ¨^»»»**§§@