####£%:«.¨                                          ¨.«:%£####
###£%:«.¨¨                                          ¨¨.«:%£###
##£%:«.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.«:%£##
###£%:«.¨¨                                          ¨¨.«:%£###
####£%:«.¨                                          ¨.«:%£####
###£%:«.¨¨               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?          ¨.«:%£####
###£%:«.¨¨                                          ¨¨.«:%£###
##£%:«.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.«:%£##
###£%:«.¨¨                                          ¨¨.«:%£###
####£%:«.¨                                          ¨.«:%£####
###£%:«.¨¨                                          ¨¨.«:%£###