,,:«^†§¶##                                          ##¶§†^«:,,
,:«^†§¶###                                          ###¶§†^«:,
,,:«^†§¶##                                          ##¶§†^«:,,
,,,:«^†§¶#                                          #¶§†^«:,,,
,,,,:«^†§¶                                          ¶§†^«:,,,,
,,,,,:«^†§                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?          ¶§†^«:,,,,
,,,,,:«^†§                                          §†^«:,,,,,
,,,,:«^†§¶                                          ¶§†^«:,,,,
,,,:«^†§¶#                                          #¶§†^«:,,,
,,:«^†§¶##                                          ##¶§†^«:,,
,:«^†§¶###                                          ###¶§†^«:,