.:~/***¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤***/~:.
..:~/***##                                          ##***/~:..
.....~***¤                                          ¤***~.....
.:~/**####                                          ####**/~:.
.:~/**¤###                                          ###¤**/~:.
....:~/**¤               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?         ¤¤**~.....
:~/**¤####                                          ####¤**/~:
......~~*¤                                          ¤*~~......
.:~/**####                                          ####**/~:.
.:~/**¤###                                          ###¤**/~:.
.:~/**¤¤##                                          ##¤¤**/~:.