,~«;%&§¶##                                          ##¶§&%;«~,
,~«;%&§¶##                                          ##¶§&%;«~,
,~«;%&§¶##                                          ##¶§&%;«~,
,~«;%&§¶##                                          ##¶§&%;«~,
,~«;%&§¶##                                          ##¶§&%;«~,
,,,,««%%&§               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?          ¶¶¶§&%;«~,
,,,,~;&§§#                                          #§§&;~,,,,
,,,,,~;;%§                                          §%;;~,,,,,
,,,,,~«;&¶                                          ¶&;«~,,,,,
,~«;%&§###                                          ###§&%;«~,
,,,~;;%§¶#                                          #¶§%;;~,,,