¨¨¨¨,«§%%#                                          #%%§«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,†%##                                          ##%†,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,««§#                                          #§««,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,«§§##                                          ##§§«,,¨¨¨
¨,«†§%####                                          ####%§†«,¨
¨¨¨««†%%##                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?         ##§†,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«†§#####                                          #####§†«,¨
¨,«†§%####                                          ####%§†«,¨
¨,«†§%####                                          ####%§†«,¨
¨,«†§%####                                          ####%§†«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,††§#                                          #§††,¨¨¨¨¨