###£§§/«,,                                          ,,«/§§£###
##£§§/«,,,                                          ,,,«/§§£##
###£§§/«,,                                          ,,«/§§£###
##£§§/«,,,                                          ,,,«/§§£##
###£§§/«,,                                          ,,«/§§£###
##£§§/«,,,                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?          ,,«/§§£###
##£§§/«,,,                                          ,,,«/§§£##
###£§§/«,,                                          ,,«/§§£###
##£§§/«,,,                                          ,,,«/§§£##
###£§§/«,,                                          ,,«/§§£###
##£§§/«,,,                                          ,,,«/§§£##