##@¤¤†^~-,                                          ,-~^†¤¤@##
¤¤¤¤^~-,,,                                          ,,,-~^¤¤¤¤
##@¤¤†^~-,                                          ,-~^†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†^~-,                                          ,-~^†¤¤@##
@¤¤¤¤†^~-,                                          ,-~^†¤¤¤¤@
##@¤¤†^~-,                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?          ,-~^†¤¤@@#
###@¤†^~-,                                          ,-~^†¤@###
@@¤¤¤†^~-,                                          ,-~^†¤¤¤@@
##@¤¤†^~-,                                          ,-~^†¤¤@##
#¤†^~~--,,                                          ,,--~~^†¤#
¤¤^--,,,,,                                          ,,,,,--^¤¤