£**†††,...                                          ...,†††**£
####£*†-,.                                          .,-†*£####
###£§*†-,.                                          .,-†*§£###
#££§§*†-,.                                          .,-†*§§££#
###£§*†-,.                                          .,-†*§£###
###£§*†-,.                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?         ....,††§£#
#§§§*†--,.                                          .,--†*§§§#
#£*-,,,...                                          ...,,,-*£#
#£££§*†-,.                                          .,-†*§£££#
£*-,......                                          ......,-*£
##§††-....                                          ....-††§##