,#,,#,#,,,                                          ##,#####,#
##,####,,,                                          ,##,,,,###
,##,,,#,,,                                          #,#,,,#,,,
#,#,,##,,,                                          ###,,##,,,
###,#,#,,#                                          ,,#,#,#,,#
,,#####,##                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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