@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨                                          ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨               WINDS ESKER                ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO  YEARS ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ I COULDN'T  GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ ON MAPS,  I COULD NOT THINK OF  IT  WHEN ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ ALONE.  I  WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST THE ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ FORK, WHERE  A  RIGHT TURN WOULD  SURELY ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT  EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨              KEPT ME AWAY.               ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨                                          ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT  THERE,  AFTER SOME ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ ASSUME,   THE  PLACE   WAS  SURREAL.  AN ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ ESKER,  LIKE  A  NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN  METERS   HIGH  AND ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW,  BRACKEN,  AND ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨               BLUEBERRIES.               ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ NOTICE  THE  VIEW TO EITHER SIDE.  THERE ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ DIDN'T  RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST  OFF, THEY ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE  SHOULD ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ STRETCH  FOR A  HUNDRED METERS  MORE  ON ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ BOTH SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I  FELT  I  COULD ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ ALMOST  REACH  OUT  AND  TOUCH THEM. AND ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ THEN, WHEN  I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ THEY WERE  OF  THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT  THIS ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨      LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND       ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF  LUNGS  CARVED ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ INTO THE GRANITE, AND  WITH NO LESS THAN ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨    IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY     ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ UNDERSTOOD  THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                   AWAY.                  ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ I  EXAMINED  THE  RIDGE,   THE  TREELINE ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ ABOVE. WAS  THIS WHAT YOU  SAW OPPOSITE, ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨                REMEMBER.                 ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ CARRYING  FORWARD,  ON THE  VERY  TIP OF ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ THE  ESKER,  I FOUND  THE  RUINS OF SOME ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨  MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ THE  MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS INSERTED ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ INTO THE SLOPE  LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST  THE ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨              GROUND ITSELF.              ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨                                          ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ SITTING THERE,  I  COULD  SEE ACROSS THE ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH  TO WHERE I ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ SAT:  FROM THE  STAIRWELL  OF  MY HOUSE, ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ THROUGH  THE OLD  WOODS BEHIND  THE TILE ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ TWENTY THREE  AND THEN  BACK  UNDER  IT, ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ FIELDS, AND  THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨                  FORK.                   ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ AND  THEN  THE  STAIRS UP ON  THE RIDGE. ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ THINKING  BACK,  THIS  WAS PROBABLY  IT. ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ HIDDEN IN  A GROVE,  THERE  WERE  STAIRS ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ MUCH LIKE  THE ONES I  CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ OLD  AND WORN DOWN,  THAT  LEAD  YOU  UP ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨ ONTO THE ESKER.  THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ I  INSTED  OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ FOOT,  I'M SURE MY  EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE   PEOPLE  IN ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨ BOATS.  I  WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨ ME?  IF  I SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY  TURN TO ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
¤%$/«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«/$%¤
@¤%$/«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«/$%¤@
#@¤%$/«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«/$%¤@#
##@¤%$/«,¨                                          ¨,«/$%¤@##
#@¤%$/«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«/$%¤@#