@&*==«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«==*&@
#@&*==«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«==*&@#
##@&*==«~¨                                          ¨~«==*&@##
#@&*==«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«==*&@#
@&*==«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«==*&@
&*==«~¨¨¨¨                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?          ¨¨¨~«==*&@
&*==«~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~«==*&
*==«~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~«==*
&*==«~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~«==*&
@&*==«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«==*&@
#@&*==«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«==*&@#