##@¤%†^~^,                                          ,^~^†%¤@##
#@¤%†^~^,,                                          ,,^~^†%¤@#
@¤%†^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^†%¤@
¤%†^~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~^†%¤
@¤%†^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^†%¤@
#@¤%†^~^,,                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?         ,^~^†%¤@##
#@¤%†^~^,,                                          ,,^~^†%¤@#
@¤%†^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^†%¤@
¤%†^~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~^†%¤
@¤%†^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^†%¤@
#@¤%†^~^,,                                          ,,^~^†%¤@#