...^^^«:§£                                          £§:«^^^...
.^«:†§&£##                                          ##£&§†:«^.
.^«:†§&£##                                          ##£&§†:«^.
..^««††§§&                                          &§§††««^..
.^«:†§&£##                                          ##£&§†:«^.
.^«:†§£###                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?         &†:«^.....
...«««†††&                                          &†††«««...
.^«:†§&&&&                                          &&&&§†:«^.
.....^::§&                                          &§::^.....
....«:§§&&                                          &&§§:«....
.^«:†§&###                                          ###&§†:«^.