,,»=†£§¶##                                          ##¶§£†=»,,
,,»=†††££¶                                          ¶££†††=»,,
,,»=†£§###                                          ###§£†=»,,
,,»=†£§¶##                                          ##¶§£†=»,,
,,»=†£§¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶§£†=»,,
,,,»=††£§#               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?          ##¶§£†=»,,
,,»=†£§¶##                                          ##¶§£†=»,,
,,»=†£§¶##                                          ##¶§£†=»,,
,,,,»†£§§§                                          §§§£†»,,,,
,,»====£§#                                          #§£====»,,
,,»†£§¶###                                          ###¶§£†»,,