,,,-~/$£@@                                          @@£$/~-,,,
,,-~/$£@@#                                          #@@£$/~-,,
,-~/$£@@##                                          ##@@£$/~-,
,,-~/$£@@#                                          #@@£$/~-,,
,,,-~/$£@@                                          @@£$/~-,,,
,,,,-~/$£@               WINDS ESKER                @£$/~-,,,,
,,,,,-~/$£ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ £$/~-,,,,,
,,,,,,-~/$                                          $/~-,,,,,,
,,,,,-~/$£ 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?         @@£$/~-,,,
,,,,-~/$£@                                          @£$/~-,,,,
,,,,,-~/$£                                          £$/~-,,,,,
,,,,,,-~/$                                          $/~-,,,,,,
,,,,,-~/$£                                          £$/~-,,,,,
,,,,-~/$£@                                          @£$/~-,,,,