,,~/$%¤£##                                          ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£##                                          ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$$$%¤#                                          #¤%$$$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£##                                          ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$$$$$¤                                          ¤$$$$$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£##                WINDS ESKER               ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$%%%£#                                          #£%%%$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£## THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£## I  COULDN'T GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH ##£¤%$/~,,
,,,,~~/$%£ DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT £%$/~~,,,,
,,,,,//$¤# ON MAPS,  I  COULD NOT THINK OF IT  WHEN #¤$//,,,,,
,,~/$$$¤¤¤ 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?          ££¤$$$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£##                                          ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£##                                          ##£¤%$/~,,
,,~/$%¤£££                                          £££¤%$/~,,
,,,,~~~~$¤                                          ¤$~~~~,,,,
,,,,~/$$¤£                                          £¤$$/~,,,,