.....=\$¤# #¤$\=.....
.~=\\\$$$# #$$$\\\=~.
...~~=\$## ##$\=~~...
.~=\=$¤### ###¤$=\=~.
.~=\=$¤### ###¤$=\=~.
.~=\=$¤### 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? #¤===\~...
...~==$¤¤¤ ¤¤¤$==~...
...~===$¤# #¤$===~...
.~\=$¤#### ####¤$=\~.
.~=\=$¤### ###¤$=\=~.
.~=\=$¤### ###¤$=\=~.