£%\^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^\%£
###£#%\=^,                                          ,^=\%#£###
##£#%^\=^,                                          ,^=\^%#£##
#^\\\\^,,,                                          ,,,^\\\\^#
#££#%^\=^,                                          ,^=\^%#££#
£%\\\=^,,,                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?          ,^=\^%#£##
£#^^^^\=^,                                          ,^=\^^^^#£
£%%\^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^\%%£
##£#%^\=^,                                          ,^=\^%#£##
##£#%^\=^,                                          ,^=\^%#£##
£#%^^=^^,,                                          ,,^^=^^%#£