¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^*                                          *^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^                                          ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=                                          =^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^                                          ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^*                                          *^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=^*¤               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?         *^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^                                          ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=                                          =^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^                                          ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^*                                          *^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=^*¤                                          ¤*^=^¨¨¨¨¨