##@@%*\~^¨                                          ¨^~\*%@@##
##@@%*\~^¨                                          ¨^~\*%@@##
#@%*~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~*%@#
###@@%\~^¨                                          ¨^~\%@@###
@%%\^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^\%%@
@@*~~¨¨¨¨¨                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?          ¨^~\*%@@##
@@*\\^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^\\*@@
@%\~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~\%@
#@*~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*@#
##@@%*\~^¨                                          ¨^~\*%@@##
@@@%%*\~^¨                                          ¨^~\*%%@@@