,,,,,,.\§¤                                          ¤§\.,,,,,,
,.«\§@¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤@§\«.,
,,,,,«§@¤¤                                          ¤¤@§«,,,,,
,,,,,.«§@¶                                          ¶@§«.,,,,,
,.\§@¤¶@##                                          ##@¶¤@§\.,
,,,.\§@¤¤¤                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?          @¤@\\««,,,
,.«««§§§¤@                                          @¤§§§«««.,
,,,,,«\@¤¤                                          ¤¤@\«,,,,,
,.«\§@¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤@§\«.,
,,,.«\\§@¤                                          ¤@§\\«.,,,
,.«\§@¤@##                                          ##@¤@§\«.,