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