¨¨¨,-\¤¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤¤\-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-\§¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤§\-¨¨¨¨
¨¨,--§§¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤§§--,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-§¤¤                                          ¤¤§-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,\¤¤¶#                                          #¶¤¤\,¨¨¨¨
¨,-\§¤¤¶##                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?          ###¤¤§\-,¨
¨,-\¤¤¶###                                          ###¶¤¤\-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,\§¤                                          ¤§\,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-\§¤¤¤¶#                                          #¶¤¤¤§\-,¨
¨,-\§¤¤¶¶#                                          #¶¶¤¤§\-,¨
¨,-\§¤¤¶##                                          ##¶¤¤§\-,¨