.,«=§£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£§=«,.
.....«§§§¤                                          ¤§§§«.....
.,«=§£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£§=«,.
.,«§£¤¶@##                                          ##@¶¤£§«,.
.,«=§£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£§=«,.
.,«=§£¤¶@#                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?          @¶¤£=,,...
...,,,,=§¤                                          ¤§=,,,,...
.,«=§£¶@##                                          ##@¶£§=«,.
.,«=§£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£§=«,.
....,=£¤¤¶                                          ¶¤¤£=,....
.,«=§£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£§=«,.