£@§^«.....                                          .....«^§@£
¶£@§^«....                                          ....«^§@£¶
#¶£@§^«...                                          ...«^§@£¶#
##¶£@§^«..                                          ..«^§@£¶##
###¶£@§^«.                                          .«^§@£¶###
##¶£@§^«..                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?          .....«^§@£
¶£@§^«....                                          ....«^§@£¶
#¶£@§^«...                                          ...«^§@£¶#
##¶£@§^«..                                          ..«^§@£¶##
###¶£@§^«.                                          .«^§@£¶###
##¶£@§^«..                                          ..«^§@£¶##