#¤¤¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤¤¤#
###¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤###
###¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤###
###¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤###
###¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤###
###¤$†^«-¨                WINDS ESKER               ¨-«^†$¤###
¤†««-¨¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨-««†¤
###¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤###
####¤†^«-¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨«†¤¤¤
##$^-¨¨¨¨¨          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ¨¨¨¨¨-^$##
¤¤$$†^««-¨                                          ¨-««^†$$¤¤
###¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤###
###¤$†^«-¨                                          ¨-«^†$¤###
¤$$^^-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-^^$$¤
####¤$†«-¨                                          ¨-«†$¤####