,:«^*$¤###                                          ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤###                                          ###¤$*^«:,
,,,:^***¤#                                          #¤***^:,,,
,,,,,,«*$¤                                          ¤$*«,,,,,,
,,::::^$$#                                          #$$^::::,,
,:«^*$$¤##                WINDS ESKER               ##¤$$*^«:,
,,,,««^**¤ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¤**^««,,,,
,:«««^^^$#                                          #$^^^«««:,
,,,,::^$$¤ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR  TWO YEARS ¤$$^::,,,,
,:«^*$¤### I  COULDN'T  GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ###¤$*^«:,
,,,««^^*¤¤ 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.                ##$$$*^«:,
,,,,::^$$#                                          #$$^::,,,,
,,,,,«^*¤# CARRYING FORWARD,  ON  THE VERY  TIP  OF #¤*^«,,,,,
,:«^*$¤### THE ESKER, I FOUND  THE  RUINS  OF  SOME ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤###    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ###¤$*^«:,
,,,:«**$¤# MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  #¤$**«:,,,
,:«^*$¤### THE MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### INTO  THE  SLOPE  LIKE  DAMS AGAINST THE ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤###              GROUND ITSELF.              ###¤$*^«:,
,,,:«^^$$#                                          #$$^^«:,,,
,:«^*$¤### SITTING  THERE, I  COULD SEE  ACROSS THE ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE  PATH TO WHERE I ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^^^^*$¤ SAT:  FROM  THE STAIRWELL  OF MY  HOUSE, ¤$*^^^^«:,
,:«^*$¤### THROUGH  THE OLD  WOODS BEHIND THE  TILE ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤###      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK UNDER  IT, ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$#### THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE ####$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN  AT THE ###¤$*^«:,
,,,,,:^*$#                  FORK.                   #$*^:,,,,,
,,,,::^*¤#                                          #¤*^::,,,,
,:«^*$¤¤## AND  THEN THE STAIRS UP  ON  THE  RIDGE. ##¤¤$*^«:,
,,,,«^^*$¤ THINKING BACK,  THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ¤$*^^«,,,,
,:«^*$¤### HIDDEN  IN  A  GROVE,  THERE WERE STAIRS ###¤$*^«:,
,,,,,::^*¤ MUCH LIKE THE ONES  I  CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¤*^::,,,,,
,:«*$¤#### OLD  AND  WORN DOWN,  THAT  LEAD YOU  UP ####¤$*«:,
,,::«^^^$¤ ONTO THE ESKER.  THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¤$^^^«::,,
,:«^*$¤### I  INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE  PATH AT ITS ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ###¤$*^«:,
,:^*$¤####          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ####¤$*^:,
,,,,,:«*¤#                                          #¤*«:,,,,,
,,,:^^**¤¤ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¤¤**^^:,,,
,:«^*$¤###                                          ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### ON   THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤### BOATS.  I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN  SEE ###¤$*^«:,
,::«^^**$¤ ME?  IF I SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY TURN  TO ¤$**^^«::,
,:«^***$##          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ##$***^«:,
,,,,:^$$¤#                                          #¤$$^:,,,,
,:«^*$¤###                                          ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤###                                          ###¤$*^«:,
,:«^*$¤###                                          ###¤$*^«:,
,,,,,«^$¤#                                          #¤$^«,,,,,