.~«:†&#@@@                                          @@@#&†:«~.
.~«:†&&&##                                          ##&&&†:«~.
.~«:†&#@##                                          ##@#&†:«~.
..~~~«†&&@                                          @&&†«~~~..
.~«:†#@###                                          ###@#†:«~.
..~~~:††##                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?          @&†::~~...
.....~«†&@                                          @&†«~.....
.~«:†&#@##                                          ##@#&†:«~.
.~«:†&#@##                                          ##@#&†:«~.
..~«««†#@#                                          #@#†«««~..
.~«:†&##@#                                          #@##&†:«~.