¶$$///--^¨                                          ¨^--///$$¶
¶##$$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$$##¶
#%%%%//-^¨                                          ¨^-//%%%%#
¶##$//^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^//$##¶
##%-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-%##
¶¶##$%/-^¨               WINDS ESKER                ¨^-/%$##¶¶
##¶#$%/-^¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨^-/%$#¶##
##¶#$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$#¶##
####$%/-^¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO  YEARS ¨^-/%$####
##¶#$%/-^¨ I COULDN'T GO TO.  REGARDLESS  HOW  MUCH ¨^-/%$#¶##
##$%--¨¨¨¨ DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS,  OR POINTED  OUT ¨¨¨¨--%$##
#¶¶#$%/-^¨ ON MAPS,  I COULD  NOT THINK  OF IT WHEN ¨^-/%$#¶¶#
#¶$%/^^^^¨ ALONE.  I  WOULD  OFTEN TRAVEL  PAST THE ¨^^^^/%$¶#
##¶#$%/-^¨ FORK, WHERE  A RIGHT  TURN  WOULD SURELY ¨^-/%$#¶##
#$%///^^¨¨ TAKE  ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨¨^^///%$#
¶##$$%/-^¨               KEPT ME AWAY.              ¨^-/%$$##¶
¶###$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$###¶
####$%/-^¨ WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT  THERE,  AFTER SOME ¨^-/%$####
##%-^¨¨¨¨¨     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 ¨¨¨¨--%###
###¶$%/-^¨ SAT: FROM  THE  STAIRWELL  OF  MY HOUSE, ¨^-/%$¶###
##¶#$%/-^¨ THROUGH  THE  OLD WOODS  BEHIND THE TILE ¨^-/%$#¶##
##¶#$%/-^¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ¨^-/%$#¶##
¶¶¶#$%/-^¨ TWENTY THREE AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER  IT, ¨^-/%$#¶¶¶
###$/^^^¨¨ THROUGH  THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER   THE ¨¨^^^/$###
##¶#$%/-^¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT  RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨^-/%$#¶##
##¶#$%/-^¨                  FORK.                   ¨^-/%$#¶##
##%%-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-%%##
¶¶$///^^¨¨ AND  THEN  THE  STAIRS UP  ON THE RIDGE. ¨¨^^///$¶¶
###¶$%/-^¨ THINKING  BACK,  THIS  WAS PROBABLY  IT. ¨^-/%$¶###
####$%/-^¨ HIDDEN IN  A  GROVE,  THERE  WERE STAIRS ¨^-/%$####
##¶#$%/-^¨ MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I CURRENTLY SAT  ON, ¨^-/%$#¶##
#¶¶#$%/-^¨ OLD  AND  WORN DOWN, THAT  LEAD  YOU  UP ¨^-/%$#¶¶#
##$%%/-¨¨¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT  OF ENTRY. HAD ¨¨¨-/%%$##
##¶#$%/-^¨ I  INSTED  OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¨^-/%$#¶##
##¶#$%/-^¨ FOOT, I'M  SURE MY  EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ¨^-/%$#¶##
##¶#$%/-^¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ¨^-/%$#¶##
##¶#$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$#¶##
##$$/-¨¨¨¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨¨¨¨-/$$##
#$%%/^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^/%%$#
####$%/-^¨ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN ¨^-/%$####
###¶$%/-^¨ BOATS. I  WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨^-/%$¶###
¶¶##$%/-^¨ ME?  IF I SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY  TURN  TO ¨^-/%$##¶¶
##¶#$%/-^¨          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ¨^-/%$#¶##
¶¶##$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$##¶¶
#$/^¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨^/$#
#$$$$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$$$$#
##¶#$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$#¶##
##¶#$%/-^¨                                          ¨^-/%$#¶##