¨.~==§§$@@                                          @@$§§==~.¨
¨.~=§$#@@#                                          #@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@@#                                          #@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§§§§#@                                          @#§§§§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@@@                                          @@@#$§=~.¨
¨....~§§#@                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. #§~~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.=$$@ THINKING  BACK, THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. @$$=.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~=§$#@@@ HIDDEN IN  A  GROVE,  THERE  WERE STAIRS @@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@@# MUCH  LIKE  THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, #@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@@# OLD AND  WORN  DOWN,  THAT  LEAD YOU  UP #@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@@# ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY.  HAD #@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@## I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE  PATH AT ITS ##@#$§=~.¨
¨¨¨.==§$$@ FOOT,  I'M SURE MY  EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE @$$§==.¨¨¨
¨.~=§$#@@@          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          @@@#$§=~.¨
¨¨¨¨~=§##@                                          @##§=~¨¨¨¨
¨.~=§$#@@# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@@#                                          #@@#$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#### ON  THE  LAKE,   THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ####$§=~.¨
¨.~=§$#@## BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY  EVEN  SEE ##@#$§=~.¨
¨.=§$#@@## ME?  IF  I SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY  TURN TO ##@@#$§=.¨
¨.~=§$#@@#          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         #@@#$§=~.¨
¨¨¨¨.=$#@@                                          @@#$=.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~§#                                          #§~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~§#                                          #§~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~=§$#@@@                                          @@@#$§=~.¨
¨¨¨¨.~§$##                                          ##$§~.¨¨¨¨