##@&$$\~^¨                                          ¨^~\$$&@##
#&$$~^^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^^~$$&#
#&$~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$&#
###&$$\~^¨                                          ¨^~\$$&###
@&$$$\^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^\$$$&@
&&$~~^¨¨¨¨                WINDS ESKER               ¨¨¨¨^~~$&&
&$\\^^¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨^^\\$&
##@&$$\~^¨                                          ¨^~\$$&@##
@@@&$$\~^¨ 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?         ¨^~\$$&@##
@$$\^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^\$$@
@$\\\^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^\\\$@
#&$\^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^\$&#
&$$$$~~~^¨                                          ¨^~~~$$$$&
@&&$$$\~^¨                                          ¨^~\$$$&&@