@#§§$%:«-¨                                          ¨-«:%$§§#@
@#§%%%:«-¨                                          ¨-«:%%%§#@
§%«---¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨---«%§
##§%:::«-¨                                          ¨-«:::%§##
###§$%:«-¨                                          ¨-«:%$§###
@@#§$%:«-¨                WINDS ESKER               ¨-«:%$§#@@
@@#§$%:«-¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨-«:%$§#@@
@@#§$%:«-¨                                          ¨-«:%$§#@@
§§$%«¨¨¨¨¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE  THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨¨¨¨¨«%$§§
#@#§$%:«-¨ I  COULDN'T  GO TO.  REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¨-«:%$§#@#
###§$%:«-¨ DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ¨-«:%$§###
#@#§$%:«-¨ ON  MAPS, I  COULD  NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ¨-«:%$§#@#
#@#§$%:«-¨ ALONE. I  WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST  THE ¨-«:%$§#@#
##$:««-¨¨¨ FORK,  WHERE  A RIGHT TURN WOULD  SURELY ¨¨¨-««:$##
###§$%:«-¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN  THEN, SOMETHING ¨-«:%$§###
§$%:----¨¨              KEPT ME AWAY.               ¨¨----:%$§
#$:::«--¨¨                                          ¨¨--«:::$#
@@#§$%:«-¨ WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT  THERE, AFTER  SOME ¨-«:%$§#@@
@@#§$%:«-¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨-«:%$§#@@
#@#§$%:«-¨ ASSUME,  THE  PLACE  WAS   SURREAL.   AN ¨-«:%$§#@#
##§§$%:«-¨ ESKER, LIKE  A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT  OUT  IN ¨-«:%$§§##
@§%%%«««-¨ 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.          ¨¨¨-««%§§#
#§§$%«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«%$§§#
§§%:«--¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨--«:%§§
§§$%%«-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-«%%$§§
##§$$%:«-¨ ON   THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ¨-«:%$$§##
#@#§$%:«-¨ BOATS. I WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN  SEE ¨-«:%$§#@#
§$:-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ME?  IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD THEY  TURN  TO ¨¨¨¨¨¨-:$§
#@#§$%:«-¨          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ¨-«:%$§#@#
##$$:--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--:$$##
##§%:-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-:%§##
§$%:--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--:%$§
##@§$%:«-¨                                          ¨-«:%$§@##
§§§§$%:«-¨                                          ¨-«:%$§§§§