,,,,,,~/%£                                          £%/~,,,,,,
,,,,,~--$£                                          £$--~,,,,,
,~-/$%%%££                                          ££%%%$/-~,
,,,,--/%¶#                                          #¶%/--,,,,
,,,,,~/$£#                                          #£$/~,,,,,
,~-/$%£¶##                WINDS ESKER               ##¶£%$/-~,
,,,,,~-$£¶ ---------------------------------------- ¶£$-~,,,,,
,,,,~/$%%£                                          £%%$/~,,,,
,~-/$%£¶## THERE WAS  THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%£¶## I COULDN'T GO  TO.  REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%£¶## DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%£¶## ON MAPS, I COULD NOT  THINK OF  IT  WHEN ##¶£%$/-~,
,,,,~-//%£ 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, #£%//--~,,
,~-/$%£¶## OLD AND  WORN  DOWN, THAT  LEAD  YOU  UP ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%£¶## ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY.  HAD ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%%%¶# I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE PATH  AT ITS #¶%%%$/-~,
,~-$%£¶### FOOT, I'M  SURE  MY  EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ###¶£%$-~,
,,,,,~/$£#          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          #£$/~,,,,,
,,,,,,-/$£                                          £$/-,,,,,,
,,,,,~//%¶ ---------------------------------------- ¶%//~,,,,,
,~-/$%£¶##                                          ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%£¶## ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%£¶## BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD  THEY EVEN  SEE ##¶£%$/-~,
,,,,-$%£££ ME? IF  I  SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY TURN TO £££%$-,,,,
,~-/$%%£¶¶          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ¶¶£%%$/-~,
,,,,,-//%¶                                          ¶%//-,,,,,
,~-/$%£¶##                                          ##¶£%$/-~,
,~-/$%¶###                                          ###¶%$/-~,
,,,--$$%£#                                          #£%$$--,,,
,~-///$$££                                          ££$$///-~,