¨¨¨,===§$#                                          #$§===,¨¨¨
¨,~=§$$$@@                                          @@$$$§=~,¨
¨,~=§$#@@#                                          #@@#$§=~,¨
¨,~=§$#@@#                                          #@@#$§=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~§$#                                          #$§~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~§§§#@               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?         @#§§=~~,¨¨
¨¨¨,,===$@                                          @$===,,¨¨¨
¨,~=§$@@##                                          ##@@$§=~,¨
¨,~=§$#@##                                          ##@#$§=~,¨
¨,,,,~§$##                                          ##$§~,,,,¨
¨,~=§$#@@#                                          #@@#$§=~,¨