#@##$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$##@#
#@##$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$##@#
@#$†«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«†$#@
#@##$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$##@#
#$$†::,,,,                                          ,,,,::†$$#
@###$†:«,,                WINDS ESKER               ,,«:†$###@
#$$:,,,,,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,,,,,:$$#
#@##$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$##@#
#@##$†:«,, THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,,«:†$##@#
####$†:«,, I  COULDN'T  GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH ,,«:†$####
@@##$†:«,, DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ,,«:†$##@@
####$†:«,, ON MAPS,  I  COULD  NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,,«:†$####
#$†«,,,,,, ALONE.  I WOULD  OFTEN TRAVEL  PAST  THE ,,,,,,«†$#
#@##$†:«,, FORK, WHERE  A  RIGHT TURN  WOULD SURELY ,,«:†$##@#
#††:::««,, 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.          ,,«:†††##@
####$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$####
@##$:«,,,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,,,«:$##@
#@##$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$##@#
####$†:«,, ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN ,,«:†$####
#@##$†:«,, BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD THEY  EVEN SEE ,,«:†$##@#
#@##$†:«,, ME?  IF I  SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY TURN  TO ,,«:†$##@#
####$†:«,,         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ,,«:†$####
#@##$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$##@#
##††«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«††##
@@##$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$##@@
##††:«,,,,                                          ,,,,«:††##
#$$$$†:«,,                                          ,,«:†$$$$#