#@&@*:«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«:*@&@#
##@&@*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*@&@##
#@&@*:«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«:*@&@#
@&@*:«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«:*@&@
&@*:«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«:*@&
@*:«,¨¨¨¨¨                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?          ¨¨,«:*@&@#
##@&@*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*@&@##
#@&@*:«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«:*@&@#
@&@*:«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«:*@&@
&@*:«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«:*@&
@*:«,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,«:*@