,.»\†*§££#                                          #££§*†\».,
,,,,,»»†§£                                          £§†»»,,,,,
,.»\†*§§§§                                          §§§§*†\».,
,.»\†*§£##                                          ##£§*†\».,
,.»\†*§£##                                          ##£§*†\».,
,,,,,.\\†§                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?          #§§††»,,,,
,,,.\\†**£                                          £**†\\.,,,
,.»\†*§£##                                          ##£§*†\».,
,.»\†*§£##                                          ##£§*†\».,
,.»\†*§§£#                                          #£§§*†\».,
,.»\†*§£##                                          ##£§*†\».,