,,,,,^^=*£                                          £*=^^,,,,,
,,,,^^=*££                                          ££*=^^,,,,
,,,,^~~%££                                          ££%~~^,,,,
,^~=%%%££@                                          @££%%%=~^,
,,^^~=%%*#                                          #*%%=~^^,,
,^~=%*£#@#               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?          #*=~^,,,,,
,^~=%*£#@#                                          #@#£*%=~^,
,^~=%*£#@#                                          #@#£*%=~^,
,,,,^~=*£@                                          @£*=~^,,,,
,^~=%*£##@                                          @##£*%=~^,
,^~=%*£###                                          ###£*%=~^,