,,,=*†§£¶#                                          #¶£§†*=,,,
,,,,=*†§£¶                                          ¶£§†*=,,,,
,,,=*†§£¶#                                          #¶£§†*=,,,
,,=*†§£¶##                                          ##¶£§†*=,,
,,,=*†§£¶#                                          #¶£§†*=,,,
,,,,=*†§£¶                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?          #¶£§†*=,,,
,,,,=*†§£¶                                          ¶£§†*=,,,,
,,,=*†§£¶#                                          #¶£§†*=,,,
,,=*†§£¶##                                          ##¶£§†*=,,
,,,=*†§£¶#                                          #¶£§†*=,,,
,,,,=*†§£¶                                          ¶£§†*=,,,,