####,#,,,#                                          ##,#,#,,,,
#,,,###,,#                                          #,#####,,,
##,,#,,#,#                                          ,##,,,,#,,
#,#,##,###                                          ,#,#,,,##,
#####,##,,                                          ,####,,#,#
,,,,,##,#,               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?         ,,#,#,,#,#
,,,,,,,,##                                          ,,####,###
#,,,,,,,#,                                          ,,#,,,##,,
##,,,,,,##                                          #,##,,#,#,
#,#,,,,,#,                                          ,##,#,####
,###,,,,##                                          ,#,####,,,