¨¨¨^~\*$&#                                          #&$*\~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\*$&                                          &$*\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~\*$                                          $*\~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\*$&                                          &$*\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~\*$&#                                          #&$*\~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~\*$&##                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?         #&$*\~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~\*$&##                                          ##&$*\~^¨¨
¨^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^¨
¨¨^~\*$&##                                          ##&$*\~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~\*$&#                                          #&$*\~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\*$&                                          &$*\~^¨¨¨¨