#$\«^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^«\$#
@@^\«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«\^@@
###@$^\«^¨                                          ¨^«\^$@###
###@$^\«^¨                                          ¨^«\^$@###
@^««¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨««^@
####@^\«^¨                WINDS ESKER               ¨^«\^@####
#@@@$^\«^¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨^«\^$@@@#
####@$^\«^                                          ^«\^$@####
###@$^\«^¨ 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 ¨^«\^^^$$@
@^«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT  THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨^«^@
###@$^\«^¨                  FORK.                   ¨^«\^$@###
####@^\«^¨                                          ¨^«\^@####
#@^«¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND  THEN THE STAIRS  UP  ON THE  RIDGE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨«^@#
####@^\«^¨ THINKING  BACK, THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ¨^«\^@####
##@@$^\«^¨ HIDDEN IN  A  GROVE,  THERE  WERE STAIRS ¨^«\^$@@##
###@$^\«^¨ MUCH  LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY  SAT ON, ¨^«\^$@###
##@@$^\«^¨ OLD  AND WORN  DOWN,  THAT LEAD  YOU  UP ¨^«\^$@@##
@$\^^¨¨¨¨¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT  OF ENTRY. HAD ¨¨¨¨¨^^\$@
#@@^«¨¨¨¨¨ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE  PATH AT ITS ¨¨¨¨¨«^@@#
#$\«^¨¨¨¨¨ FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY  EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨¨¨¨¨^«\$#
###@$^\«^¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ¨^«\^$@###
##$$$^\«^¨                                          ¨^«\^$$$##
#@@@$^\«^¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨^«\^$@@@#
#$$^«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«^$$#
###@$^\«^¨ ON   THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ¨^«\^$@###
###@$^\«^¨ BOATS.  I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN  SEE ¨^«\^$@###
###@$^\«^¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO ¨^«\^$@###
####@$^\^¨         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ¨^\^$@####
#@$^«^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^«^$@#
##@@$^\«^¨                                          ¨^«\^$@@##
####$^\«^¨                                          ¨^«\^$####
#@$^\\«¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨«\\^$@#
###@$^\«^¨                                          ¨^«\^$@###