¨:~=††¤¤@@                                          @@¤¤††=~:¨
¨:~=†¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=†¤@                                          @¤†=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†=~:¨
¨:~=†¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤†=~:¨
¨:~=†¤¤@##               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?          ¤¤†=::::¨¨
:~=†¤¤@###                                          ###@¤¤†=~:
¨:~=†¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤†=~:¨
¨:~=†¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨:~==¤¤                                          ¤¤==~:¨¨¨¨
¨:~==†¤¤¤@                                          @¤¤¤†==~:¨