#,#,##,#,,                                          ,#,#,#,#,,
#####,###,                                          ,########,
#,,,,##,,#                                          ##,,,,,,,#
,#,,,#,#,#                                          #,#,,,,,,#
###,,#####                                          ####,,,,,#
,,,#,#,,,,                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?          ###,,#,##,
,#,#,##,,,                                          ,,,#,###,#
######,#,,                                          ,,,###,,##
,,,,,,###,                                          #,,#,,#,#,
,,,,,,#,,#                                          ,#,##,####
#,,,,,##,#                                          ,###,##,,,