#§%§:~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~:§%§#
###§%§:~.¨                                          ¨.~:§%§###
###§%§:~.¨                                          ¨.~:§%§###
#§§::::~.¨                                          ¨.~::::§§#
#§§:...¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨...:§§#
#§%§:::~.¨                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?         ¨.~:§%§###
####%§:~.¨                                          ¨.~:§%####
#§§§:.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.:§§§#
###§%§:~.¨                                          ¨.~:§%§###
#§%%:~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~:%%§#
##%§~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~§%##