§§***//~.¨                                          ¨.~//***§§
§*//~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~//*§
###§&*/~.¨                                          ¨.~/*&§###
#§&*~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~*&§#
§**~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~**§
###§&*/~.¨                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?         ¨.~/*&§###
###§&*/~.¨                                          ¨.~/*&§###
###§&*/~.¨                                          ¨.~/*&§###
§§&&&*/~.¨                                          ¨.~/*&&&§§
###§&*/~.¨                                          ¨.~/*&§###
####§&/~.¨                                          ¨.~/&§####