¶@@$§~~~^,                                          ,^~~~§$@@¶
@$=^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^=$@
##¶@$§=~^,                                          ,^~=§$@¶##
##¶@$§=~^,                                          ,^~=§$@¶##
###¶@§=~^,                                          ,^~=§@¶###
¶$=^,,,,,,                WINDS ESKER               ,,,,,,^=$¶
¶@@§=~,,,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,,,~=§@@¶
@§~~~~~^,,                                          ,,^~~~~~§@
#@$=^^,,,, THERE WAS THIS PLACE  THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,,,,^^=$@#
###¶$§=~^, I  COULDN'T  GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,^~=§$¶###
#¶$§§§=~^, DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS,  OR POINTED  OUT ,^~=§§§$¶#
##¶@$§=~^, ON MAPS, I  COULD  NOT  THINK OF IT WHEN ,^~=§$@¶##
@§=~,,,,,, 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 ,,,,^^=§@@
#@$$=~,,,, ME?  IF I SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY TURN  TO ,,,,~=$$@#
##¶@$§=~^,         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ,^~=§$@¶##
@§=^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^=§@
##¶@$§=~^,                                          ,^~=§$@¶##
###@$§=~^,                                          ,^~=§$@###
##¶@$§=~^,                                          ,^~=§$@¶##
##¶@$§=~^,                                          ,^~=§$@¶##