¨,~/%*&£@#                                          #@£&*%/~,¨
¨,~/%*&£@@                                          @@£&*%/~,¨
¨,~~//%*&£                                          £&*%//~~,¨
¨,~/%*&£@#                                          #@£&*%/~,¨
¨¨¨¨,/%&£@                                          @£&%/,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,,,/*£                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?         @@£&*%/~,¨
¨,~/%*&@##                                          ##@&*%/~,¨
¨,~/%*&£@#                                          #@£&*%/~,¨
¨,~/%*&£@#                                          #@£&*%/~,¨
¨,~///**&&                                          &&**///~,¨
¨,~/%*&@##                                          ##@&*%/~,¨