,###,,,### ,,##,,####
#,,#,,#,,# ,#,#,#,,,#
#,##,##,#, ######,,#,
##,##,###, ,,,,,#,###
,##,##,,#, ,,,,###,,,
#,##,#,##, 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? #,,##,,,#,
##,###,#,, #,#,#,,###
,##,,###,, #####,#,,,
#,#,#,,#,# ,,,,###,,,
#####,###, ,,,#,,#,,#
,,,,##,,#, ,,##,##,#,