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