.~«\$%£@##                                          ##@£%$\«~.
..~«\$%£@#                                          #@£%$\«~..
...~«\$%£@                                          @£%$\«~...
....~«\$%£                                          £%$\«~....
.....~«\$%                                          %$\«~.....
......~«\$               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 #@£%$\«~..
.~«\$%£@##          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ##@£%$\«~.
..~«\$%£@#                                          #@£%$\«~..
...~«\$%£@                                          @£%$\«~...
....~«\$%£                                          £%$\«~....
.....~«\$%                                          %$\«~.....
......~«\$                                          $\«~......