@££†~.,,,,                                          ,,,,.~†££@
##@&£†^~.,                                          ,.~^†£&@##
#@££††^~.,                                          ,.~^††££@#
##@&£†^~.,                                          ,.~^†£&@##
#@@&£†^~.,                                          ,.~^†£&@@#
#@&&£†^~.,                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?         ,.~^†£&@##
&£^^^.,,,,                                          ,,,,.^^^£&
&&£††~~,,,                                          ,,,~~††£&&
##@&£†^~.,                                          ,.~^†£&@##
&&££†~~~.,                                          ,.~~~†££&&
&††††~.,,,                                          ,,,.~††††&