†;«:......                                          ......:«;†
$†;«:.....                                          .....:«;†$
£$†;«:....                                          ....:«;†$£
@£$†;«:...                                          ...:«;†$£@
#@£$†;«:..                                          ..:«;†$£@#
##@£$†;«:.                WINDS ESKER               .:«;†$£@##
#@£$†;«:.. «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ..:«;†$£@#
@£$†;«:...                                          ...:«;†$£@
£$†;«:.... THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT  FOR TWO YEARS ....:«;†$£
$†;«:..... I COULDN'T  GO TO.  REGARDLESS  HOW MUCH .....:«;†$
†;«:...... 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?         ......:«;†
$†;«:.....                                          .....:«;†$
£$†;«:....                                          ....:«;†$£
@£$†;«:...                                          ...:«;†$£@
#@£$†;«:..                                          ..:«;†$£@#
##@£$†;«:.                                          .:«;†$£@##