,,,,~†$$#@                                          @#$$†~,,,,
,,,~†$$#@#                                          #@#$$†~,,,
,,~†$$#@##                                          ##@#$$†~,,
,,,~†$$#@#                                          #@#$$†~,,,
,,,,~†$$#@                                          @#$$†~,,,,
,,,,,~†$$#                WINDS ESKER               #$$†~,,,,,
,,,,,,~†$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ $$†~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~†$                                          $†~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~† THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS †~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ I COULDN'T GO  TO. REGARDLESS  HOW  MUCH ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~† DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT †~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~†$ 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 $†~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~†$$ BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD  THEY EVEN SEE $$†~,,,,,,
,,,,,~†$$# ME? IF I SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO #$$†~,,,,,
,,,,~†$$#@         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          @#$$†~,,,,
,,,~†$$#@#                                          #@#$$†~,,,
,,~†$$#@##                                          ##@#$$†~,,
,,,~†$$#@#                                          #@#$$†~,,,
,,,,~†$$#@                                          @#$$†~,,,,
,,,,,~†$$#                                          #$$†~,,,,,