.^~†%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%†~^.
....~†%££@                                          @££%†~....
.^~†%£¤¤@@                                          @@¤¤£%†~^.
.^~†%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%†~^.
...~††%%¤#                                          #¤%%††~...
...^††††£@                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?         ##@¤£%†~^.
....~†%£@@                                          @@£%†~....
.....~†%¤@                                          @¤%†~.....
.....^^†%¤                                          ¤%†^^.....
.....~%£@@                                          @@£%~.....
.^~†%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%†~^.