,,,,~~$@£#                                          #£@$~~,,,,
,,,,,^\\@£                                          £@\\^,,,,,
,^~\$@&£##                                          ##£&@$\~^,
,^~\@&£###                                          ###£&@\~^,
,,,^~~~$&#                                          #&$~~~^,,,
,^^^^^~\@£                WINDS ESKER               £@\~^^^^^,
,^~$@&£### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ###£&@$~^,
,^~\$@&£##                                          ##£&@$\~^,
,^~\$@&£## 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 ##£&@$\~^,
,,,,,,^\@£          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         £@\^,,,,,,
,,,,^^^~$&                                          &$~^^^,,,,
,,,,,^~$@£                                          £@$~^,,,,,
,^~\$@&£##                                          ##£&@$\~^,
,^~\$@&£££                                          £££&@$\~^,
,^~\$@&£##                                          ##£&@$\~^,