,,,,,,~~=§                                          §=~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,~=$§                                          §$=~,,,,,,
,,~/=$§@##                                          ##@§$=/~,,
,,,,,/$§§#                                          #§§$/,,,,,
,,,,,~/=§@                                          @§=/~,,,,,
,,,,/==§§#                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, @@§=~,,,,,
,,~/=$$$§# OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN, THAT  LEAD  YOU UP #§$$$=/~,,
,,~/=$§@## ONTO THE ESKER.  THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##@§$=/~,,
,,~/=$§@## I  INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT  ITS ##@§$=/~,,
,,~/=$§@## FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ##@§$=/~,,
,,~/=$§@##          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ##@§$=/~,,
,,~/=$§@##                                          ##@§$=/~,,
,,~/=$§@## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##@§$=/~,,
,,,,,/$§§@                                          @§§$/,,,,,
,,,,,~/$§# ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN #§$/~,,,,,
,,,,,,~=$@ BOATS.  I  WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE @$=~,,,,,,
,,,,,,~=$@ ME?  IF  I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY  TURN  TO @$=~,,,,,,
,,~/=$§###          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ###§$=/~,,
,,,,,,/$@@                                          @@$/,,,,,,
,,,,,,/$@#                                          #@$/,,,,,,
,,,~~///$@                                          @$///~~,,,
,,~/=$§@##                                          ##@§$=/~,,
,,,,~==§@#                                          #@§==~,,,,