,:«†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†«:,
,:«†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†«:,
:«†%&§@###                                          ###@§&%†«:
,:«†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†«:,
,:«†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†«:,
,,,,::«%§#               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?         #§&%««:,,,
,:«†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†«:,
,:««†%%%§§                                          §§%%%†««:,
,,,,,:†%%§                                          §%%†:,,,,,
,:«†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†«:,
,:«†%%&&&§                                          §&&&%%†«:,