,.~^†$&&&&                                          &&&&$†^~.,
,.~^†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†^~.,
,,,,..~†$&                                          &$†~..,,,,
,.~^†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†^~.,
,.~^†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†^~.,
,,,,,,~^$&                WINDS ESKER               &$^~,,,,,,
,.~^†$&¶## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##¶&$†^~.,
,.~^†$&¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶&$†^~.,
,.~^†$&### THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR  TWO YEARS ###&$†^~.,
,,,,,~^†&# 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 ¶$$^.,,,,,
,,,,,.^†&& BOATS. I  WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE &&†^.,,,,,
,.~^†$&¶¶¶ ME?  IF I SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO ¶¶¶&$†^~.,
,.~^†$&¶¶#         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          #¶¶&$†^~.,
,.~^†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†^~.,
,,,,~~^$$¶                                          ¶$$^~~,,,,
,.~^†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†^~.,
,.~^†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†^~.,
,,,,,,,~†&                                          &†~,,,,,,,