,,,,,:\%#@                                          @#%\:,,,,,
,:~\†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†\~:,
,,,,,~\†§#                                          #§†\~,,,,,
,:~\†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†\~:,
,,,:::\†§§                                          §§†\:::,,,
,:~\†%§#@#                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?         #§§%†\:,,,
,:~\†%§#@@                                          @@#§%†\~:,
,:~\†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†\~:,
,:~\†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†\~:,
,:~~~~\%§§                                          §§%\~~~~:,
,:~\†%§###                                          ###§%†\~:,