¤$«««~,,,,                                          ,,,,~«««$¤
@@¤¤£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£¤¤@@
##@¤£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£¤@##
¤$««~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~««$¤
¤¤¤£$««,,,                                          ,,,««$£¤¤¤
#@£$$$†«~,                WINDS ESKER               ,~«†$$$£@#
##@¤£$†«~, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,~«†$£¤@##
@¤¤£$$†«~,                                          ,~«†$$£¤¤@
#¤£†«,,,,, 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, ,,,,,«†£@@
##@¤£$†«~, OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN, THAT  LEAD YOU  UP ,~«†$£¤@##
¤£$«~~,,,, ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF  ENTRY. HAD ,,,,~~«$£¤
###@¤$†«~, I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE PATH AT  ITS ,~«†$¤@###
#¤$††««,,, FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ,,,««††$¤#
¤$†««~,,,,          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ,,,,~««†$¤
#@¤£†~,,,,                                          ,,,,~†£¤@#
##@¤£$†«~, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,~«†$£¤@##
@@¤¤£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£¤¤@@
##@¤£$†«~, ON  THE  LAKE,   THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ,~«†$£¤@##
¤¤£££$†«~, BOATS.  I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN  SEE ,~«†$£££¤¤
¤¤¤£$†~,,, ME?  IF  I SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY TURN TO ,,,~†$£¤¤¤
##@¤£$†«~,         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ,~«†$£¤@##
###@£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£@###
##@¤£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£¤@##
##@¤£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£¤@##
###¤£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£¤###
##@¤£$†«~,                                          ,~«†$£¤@##