¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=*                                          *=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-=*†                                          †*=-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-=*†£                                          £†*=-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=*†£¤                                          ¤£†*=-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-=*†£¤#                                          #¤£†*=-¨¨¨
¨¨-=*†£¤##                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?         *=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-=*†                                          †*=-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-=*†£                                          £†*=-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=*†£¤                                          ¤£†*=-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-=*†£¤#                                          #¤£†*=-¨¨¨
¨¨-=*†£¤##                                          ##¤£†*=-¨¨