,,~=†$§¶¶#                                          #¶¶§$†=~,,
,,~=†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†=~,,
,,~=†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†=~,,
,,~=†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†=~,,
,,~=†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†=~,,
,,~=†$§¶##                WINDS ESKER               ##¶§$†=~,,
,,~=†$$§§# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #§§$$†=~,,
,,,,,==$¶¶                                          ¶¶$==,,,,,
,,,,,,~†§§ 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.          #¶§†~,,,,,
,,~=†§¶###                                          ###¶§†=~,,
,,~=†$§### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ###§$†=~,,
,,~=†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†=~,,
,,,,,,=$§§ ON   THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN §§$=,,,,,,
,,~=†$§¶## BOATS. I WONDERED,  COULD  THEY EVEN SEE ##¶§$†=~,,
,,~=†$§¶## ME? IF  I  SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY TURN  TO ##¶§$†=~,,
,,,,,,~=$§          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         §$=~,,,,,,
,,,,,,=$§#                                          #§$=,,,,,,
,,~=†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†=~,,
,,,,,=†$§#                                          #§$†=,,,,,
,,~=†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†=~,,
,,,,,,,=$§                                          §$=,,,,,,,