.^«†*£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£*†«^.
..^«†*£¤¶#                                          #¶¤£*†«^..
.^«†*£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£*†«^.
..^«†*£¤¶#                                          #¶¤£*†«^..
.^«†*£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£*†«^.
..^«†*£¤¶#               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?          ##¶¤£*†«^.
..^«†*£¤¶#                                          #¶¤£*†«^..
.^«†*£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£*†«^.
..^«†*£¤¶#                                          #¶¤£*†«^..
.^«†*£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£*†«^.
..^«†*£¤¶#                                          #¶¤£*†«^..