.,~:†*£###                                          ###£*†:~,.
.,~:†*££##                                          ##££*†:~,.
.,~:††**£#                                          #£**††:~,.
.,~:†***££                                          ££***†:~,.
...,~††££#                                          #££††~,...
.,~:†***£#                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?         ###£*†:~,.
..,,~::**#                                          #**::~,,..
.,~:†*£###                                          ###£*†:~,.
....,~††*#                                          #*††~,....
.....,:**£                                          £**:,.....
...,~~††*#                                          #*††~~,...