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