¨^~/†%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%†/~^¨
¨^~/†%¤¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤¤%†/~^¨
¨^~~~//†¤@                                          @¤†//~~~^¨
¨¨¨^^/†¤¤#                                          #¤¤†/^^¨¨¨
¨^~/†%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%†/~^¨
¨^~/†%¤#@#               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?         ¤%/^^^^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^/%¤#                                          #¤%/^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨^^^///%¤                                          ¤%///^^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~/%¤                                          ¤%/~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^~†¤¤                                          ¤¤†~^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~~†%#                                          #%†~~~¨¨¨¨