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