###£¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤£###
##£¤¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤¤£##
###£¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤£###
###£¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤£###
###£¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤£###
££¤†^^,,,,               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.          ,,,,,^††¤£
##££¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤££##
££$††^,,,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,,,^††$££
££$†^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^†$££
£$««,,,,,, ON  THE  LAKE,   THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ,,,,,,««$£
£$«^^^^^^, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD  THEY  EVEN SEE ,^^^^^^«$£
##££¤$†«^, ME? IF  I SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY TURN  TO ,^«†$¤££##
###£¤$†«^,         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ,^«†$¤£###
#£¤¤$†^,,,                                          ,,,^†$¤¤£#
###£¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤£###
£¤†^^^^^,,                                          ,,^^^^^†¤£
###£¤$†«^,                                          ,^«†$¤£###
##¤¤$«^,,,                                          ,,,^«$¤¤##