¨¨¨,«/*$@#                                          #@$*/«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«/*$@##                                          ##@$*/«,¨¨
¨,«/*$@###                                          ###@$*/«,¨
¨¨,«/*$@##                                          ##@$*/«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«/*$@#                                          #@$*/«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«/*$@                WINDS ESKER               @$*/«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«/*$ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« $*/«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/*                                          */«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/ THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS /«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« I COULDN'T GO TO.  REGARDLESS  HOW  MUCH «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS,  OR POINTED  OUT ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« ON MAPS, I  COULD  NOT  THINK OF IT WHEN «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/ ALONE. I  WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST  THE /«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/* FORK,  WHERE A  RIGHT  TURN WOULD SURELY */«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«/*$ 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?          #@$*/«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«/*$@                                          @$*/«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«/*$                                          $*/«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/*                                          */«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/                                          /«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«                                          «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨