¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^                                          ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^%                                          %^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^%$                                          $%^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^%$£                                          £$%^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^%$£@                                          @£$%^«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^%$£@#               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.          #@£$%^«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«^%$£@                                          @£$%^«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^%$£ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« £$%^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^%$                                          $%^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^% ON  THE   LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN %^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^ BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN  SEE ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« ME?  IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY TURN  TO «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^%                                          %^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^%$                                          $%^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^%$£                                          £$%^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^%$£@                                          @£$%^«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^%$£@#                                          #@£$%^«,¨¨