.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
....~:$@@#                                          #@@$:~....
....,:::%¶                                          ¶%:::,....
.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@###                                          ###@%$:~,.
.,~:$$$%¶¶                WINDS ESKER               ¶¶%$$$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR  TWO YEARS ##¶@%$:~,.
.....,~:$@ I  COULDN'T  GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH @$:~,.....
...,,:$$@@ DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS,  OR POINTED  OUT @@$$:,,...
.,~:$%@¶## ON MAPS,  I COULD  NOT  THINK OF IT WHEN ##¶@%$:~,.
...~:$$@@¶ ALONE.  I  WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL PAST  THE ¶@@$$:~...
.,~:$%@¶¶¶ FORK,  WHERE A RIGHT  TURN  WOULD SURELY ¶¶¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@### TAKE ME THERE,  BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ###@%$:~,.
...,~:$$@#               KEPT ME AWAY.              #@$$:~,...
.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
....~$%@¶¶ WHEN  I  FINALLY  GOT  THERE, AFTER SOME ¶¶@%$~....
...,~~::%¶     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      ###¶@%:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## TWENTY THREE  AND THEN  BACK  UNDER  IT, ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶¶# THROUGH  THE  FANCY   VILLAS,  OVER  THE #¶¶@%$:~,.
......~$$@ FIELDS, AND  THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE @$$~......
.,~:$%¶###                  FORK.                   ###¶%$:~,.
.,~:$$$@@#                                          #@@$$$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## AND THEN  THE  STAIRS UP  ON THE  RIDGE. ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## THINKING  BACK, THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## HIDDEN  IN  A  GROVE, THERE  WERE STAIRS ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I  CURRENTLY SAT ON, ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## OLD AND WORN  DOWN,  THAT  LEAD  YOU  UP ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## ONTO THE ESKER.  THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE  PATH AT  ITS ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## FOOT, I'M  SURE  MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶##          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE   PEOPLE  IN ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶¶¶ BOATS.  I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN  SEE ¶¶¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶## ME? IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO ##¶@%$:~,.
....,~$%%¶          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ¶%%$~,....
..,,::%@@¶                                          ¶@@%::,,..
.,~:$%@@¶¶                                          ¶¶@@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%@¶##                                          ##¶@%$:~,.
.,~:$%%@@#                                          #@@%%$:~,.