.^~^**#£##                                          ##£#**^~^.
.^~^**#£##                                          ##£#**^~^.
.^~^**#£##                                          ##£#**^~^.
.^~^**#£##                                          ##£#**^~^.
...^~^**##                                          ##**^~^...
.^^^^^***#               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?         £##*^^^~^.
....~^^^*#                                          #*^^^~....
.....^^^*#                                          #*^^^.....
..^^^^^*##                                          ##*^^^^^..
.^~^*****£                                          £*****^~^.
.^~^**#£##                                          ##£#**^~^.