¶&&&&^†~.¨                                          ¨.~†^&&&&¶
##&^†††~.¨                                          ¨.~†††^&##
#¶&^^~.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.~^^&¶#
##¶#&^†~.¨                                          ¨.~†^&#¶##
##¶#&^†~.¨                                          ¨.~†^&#¶##
#&^~¨¨¨¨¨¨                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?          ¨.~†^&#¶##
###^^~~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~~^^###
#¶#^^^†~.¨                                          ¨.~†^^^#¶#
##&^^^†~.¨                                          ¨.~†^^^&##
####&^†~.¨                                          ¨.~†^&####
##¶#&^†~.¨                                          ¨.~†^&#¶##