.^~^%%@£##                                          ##£@%%^~^.
.....^^%%@                                          @%%^^.....
..^^^~~^%@                                          @%^~~^^^..
.....^^%@£                                          £@%^^.....
.^~^%@£###                                          ###£@%^~^.
.^~^%%@£##               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?         ##£@%%^~^.
.^~^%%@£££                                          £££@%%^~^.
.......~%@                                          @%~.......
.^~^%%@£##                                          ##£@%%^~^.
.^~^%%@£##                                          ##£@%%^~^.
......^~%@                                          @%~^......