........^-                                          -^........
.........^                                          ^.........
........^-                                          -^........
.......^-*                                          *-^.......
......^-*%                                          %*-^......
.....^-*%$               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.          $%*-^.....
......^-*%                                          %*-^......
.......^-* ---------------------------------------- *-^.......
........^-                                          -^........
.........^ ON  THE   LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ^.........
........^- BOATS.  I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN  SEE -^........
.......^-* ME? IF  I  SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY  TURN TO *-^.......
......^-*%          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         %*-^......
.....^-*%$                                          $%*-^.....
....^-*%$@                                          @$%*-^....
...^-*%$@£                                          £@$%*-^...
..^-*%$@£#                                          #£@$%*-^..
.^-*%$@£##                                          ##£@$%*-^.