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