¨.~/†%####                                          ####%†/~.¨
¨.~/†%####                                          ####%†/~.¨
¨.~/†%####                                          ####%†/~.¨
¨¨.~~/†%##                                          ##%†/~~.¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./†#                                          #†/.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~/%%%#               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?          ####%†/~.¨
¨.~/†%####                                          ####%†/~.¨
¨.~/†%####                                          ####%†/~.¨
¨¨../††%##                                          ##%††/..¨¨
¨.~/†%####                                          ####%†/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.//%#                                          #%//.¨¨¨¨¨