¶£*%^~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~^%*£¶
#¶£*%^~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~^%*£¶#
##¶£*%^~¨¨                                          ¨¨~^%*£¶##
###¶£*%^~¨                                          ¨~^%*£¶###
##¶£*%^~¨¨                                          ¨¨~^%*£¶##
#¶£*%^~¨¨¨               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?          ¨¨~^%*£¶##
#¶£*%^~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~^%*£¶#
¶£*%^~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~^%*£¶
£*%^~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~^%*£
*%^~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^%*
£*%^~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~^%*£