¨~=/^§£###                                          ###£§^/=~¨
¨¨~=/^§£##                                          ##£§^/=~¨¨
¨¨¨~=/^§£#                                          #£§^/=~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=/^§£                                          £§^/=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=/^§                                          §^/=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/^                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?         §^/=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/^                                          ^/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=/^§                                          §^/=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=/^§£                                          £§^/=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~=/^§£#                                          #£§^/=~¨¨¨
¨¨~=/^§£##                                          ##£§^/=~¨¨