..,~/%%£##                                          ##£%%/~,..
...,~/%%£#                                          #£%%/~,...
....,~/%%£                                          £%%/~,....
.....,~/%%                                          %%/~,.....
......,~/%                                          %/~,......
.....,~/%%               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?         %/~,......
.....,~/%%                                          %%/~,.....
....,~/%%£                                          £%%/~,....
...,~/%%£#                                          #£%%/~,...
..,~/%%£##                                          ##£%%/~,..
.,~/%%£###                                          ###£%%/~,.