,£,££,,,££                                          ,,,,££,££,
££,,£,,£,£                                          ,,,£,£,,£,
,£,££,££,£                                          ,,££,£,££,
££,,£,,£,£                                          ,£,£,£,,£,
,£,££,££,£                                          ££,£,£,££,
££,,£,,£,£                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?          ,£,£,£,££,
££,,£,,£,£                                          ,£,£,£,,£,
,£,££,££,£                                          ,£,£,£,££,
££,,£,,£,£                                          ,£,£,£,,£,
,£,££,££,£                                          ,£,£,£,££,
££,,£,,£,£                                          ,£,£,£,,£,