,,,,,./&@#                                          #@&/.,,,,,
,.~/$&§@##                                          ##@§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@##                                          ##@§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@##                                          ##@§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@##                                          ##@§&$/~.,
,,,,..//&@               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 #§&&$$/~.,
,.~/$&§@## I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE PATH  AT ITS ##@§&$/~.,
,,,.~$&&§@ FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE @§&&$~.,,,
,.~/$&§@##          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ##@§&$/~.,
,.~/$&&§§@                                          @§§&&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##@§&$/~.,
,,,,.~~$&@                                          @&$~~.,,,,
,.~/$&§§@# ON  THE  LAKE,   THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN #@§§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@## BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD THEY  EVEN SEE ##@§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@## ME? IF  I SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO ##@§&$/~.,
,.~~~//$&@         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          @&$//~~~.,
,.~/$&§@##                                          ##@§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§###                                          ###§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@##                                          ##@§&$/~.,
,.~/$&§@##                                          ##@§&$/~.,
,,,,.~$&&@                                          @&&$~.,,,,