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