##@&£†^~,,                                          ,,~^†£&@##
#&£†~~,,,,                                          ,,,,~~†£&#
##@&£†^~,,                                          ,,~^†£&@##
##@&£†^~,,                                          ,,~^†£&@##
##@&£†^~,,                                          ,,~^†£&@##
###&£†^~,,                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?          ,,~~~†£&&@
#&£££†^~,,                                          ,,~^†£££&#
###@&†^~,,                                          ,,~^†&@###
#&££^~~,,,                                          ,,,~~^££&#
@@@&£†^~,,                                          ,,~^†£&@@@
##@&£†^~,,                                          ,,~^†£&@##