#¶#@@†^~:¨                                          ¨:~^†@@#¶#
¶¶¶#@†^~:¨                                          ¨:~^†@#¶¶¶
##¶#@†^~:¨                                          ¨:~^†@#¶##
¶##@†~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~†@##¶
¶@^:::¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:::^@¶
¶@@^^^^~:¨               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?         ¨¨¨¨¨~††##
##¶#@†^~:¨                                          ¨:~^†@#¶##
#††^^^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^^^††#
###¶@†^~:¨                                          ¨:~^†@¶###
#@^^^^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^^^^@#
##¶#@†^~:¨                                          ¨:~^†@#¶##