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