,,,,^-^%%@                                          @%%^-^,,,,
,,,^-^%%@#                                          #@%%^-^,,,
,,^-^%%@##                                          ##@%%^-^,,
,^-^%%@###                                          ###@%%^-^,
,,^-^%%@##                                          ##@%%^-^,,
,,,^-^%%@#                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?          @%%^-^,,,,
,,,,,^-^%%                                          %%^-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-^%                                          %^-^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-^                                          ^-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^-                                          -^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^                                          ^,,,,,,,,,