*^~.,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,.~^*
^~.,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,.~^
*^~.,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,.~^*
%*^~.,,,,,                                          ,,,,,.~^*%
§%*^~.,,,,                                          ,,,,.~^*%§
#§%*^~.,,,                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?         ,,,,,,.~^*
^~.,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,.~^
*^~.,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,.~^*
%*^~.,,,,,                                          ,,,,,.~^*%
§%*^~.,,,,                                          ,,,,.~^*%§
#§%*^~.,,,                                          ,,,.~^*%§#