##¶&*†=~:¨                                          ¨:~=†*&¶##
&&†==~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~==†&&
¶&††~~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~~††&¶
##¶&*†=~:¨                                          ¨:~=†*&¶##
###¶*†=~:¨                                          ¨:~=†*¶###
##¶&*†=~:¨                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?          ¨¨¨~==**¶¶
#&***†=~:¨                                          ¨:~=†***&#
&**=~:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:~=**&
&&&*=:::¨¨                                          ¨¨:::=*&&&
&*†~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~†*&
&&&*††=~:¨                                          ¨:~=††*&&&