,,,.«\*%£¶                                          ¶£%*\«.,,,
,,.«\*%£¶#                                          #¶£%*\«.,,
,.«\*%£¶##                                          ##¶£%*\«.,
,,.«\*%£¶#                                          #¶£%*\«.,,
,,,.«\*%£¶                                          ¶£%*\«.,,,
,,,,.«\*%£                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?          ¶£%*\«.,,,
,,,,.«\*%£                                          £%*\«.,,,,
,,,,,.«\*%                                          %*\«.,,,,,
,,,,.«\*%£                                          £%*\«.,,,,
,,,.«\*%£¶                                          ¶£%*\«.,,,
,,.«\*%£¶#                                          #¶£%*\«.,,