#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^.                                          .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^...                                          ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^....                                          ....^-†$&£
&$†-^.....                WINDS ESKER               .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... ---------------------------------------- ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^...                                          ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^.. THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO  YEARS ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^. I COULDN'T  GO TO.  REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^.. DISCUSSED  WITH  OTHERS, OR POINTED  OUT ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... ON MAPS,  I COULD NOT THINK  OF IT  WHEN ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^.... ALONE.  I  WOULD  OFTEN TRAVEL  PAST THE ....^-†$&£
&$†-^..... FORK,  WHERE A  RIGHT  TURN WOULD SURELY .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN  THEN, SOMETHING ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^...               KEPT ME AWAY.              ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^. WHEN I  FINALLY  GOT  THERE, AFTER  SOME .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^..     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... ASSUME,  THE   PLACE  WAS   SURREAL.  AN ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^.... ESKER,  LIKE A  NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT  IN ....^-†$&£
&$†-^..... THE  LAKE,   BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH  AND .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... ADORNED IN  BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^...               BLUEBERRIES.               ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^. WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^.. NOTICE THE  VIEW TO  EITHER  SIDE. THERE ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^.... DIDN'T  RECOGNIZE  THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ....^-†$&£
&$†-^..... WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE  SHOULD .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... STRETCH  FOR  A HUNDRED  METERS  MORE ON ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^... BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I FELT  I  COULD ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^.. ALMOST  REACH  OUT  AND  TOUCH THEM. AND ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^. THEN,  WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^..           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^...                                          ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^.... THEY WERE OF  THE  RIGHT LAKE. BUT  THIS ....^-†$&£
&$†-^.....      LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND       .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF  LUNGS  CARVED ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^... INTO THE GRANITE,  AND WITH NO LESS THAN ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^..   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^.      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^..     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... UNDERSTOOD THEM AS  BELONGING MANY MILES ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^....                  AWAY.                   ....^-†$&£
&$†-^.....                                          .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... I  EXAMINED  THE  RIDGE,  THE   TREELINE ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^... ABOVE.  WAS THIS  WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^.. FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^.                REMEMBER.                 .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... CARRYING  FORWARD,  ON  THE VERY TIP  OF ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^.... THE  ESKER,  I  FOUND THE RUINS OF  SOME ....^-†$&£
&$†-^.....    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^... THE  MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS INSERTED ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^.. INTO THE  SLOPE  LIKE DAMS  AGAINST  THE ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^.              GROUND ITSELF.              .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... SITTING  THERE, I  COULD  SEE ACROSS THE ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^.... NARROWED LAKE  MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ....^-†$&£
&$†-^..... SAT:  FROM THE  STAIRWELL  OF  MY HOUSE, .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... THROUGH THE  OLD  WOODS  BEHIND THE TILE ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^...      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^.. TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN BACK  UNDER  IT, ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^. THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^.. FIELDS, AND  THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^...                  FORK.                   ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^....                                          ....^-†$&£
&$†-^..... AND THEN THE  STAIRS  UP  ON THE  RIDGE. .....^-†$&
£&$†-^.... THINKING  BACK,  THIS  WAS PROBABLY  IT. ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^... HIDDEN  IN  A GROVE,  THERE  WERE STAIRS ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^.. MUCH LIKE  THE  ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^. OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN,  THAT  LEAD YOU UP .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^.. ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY.  HAD ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... I  INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT  ITS ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^.... FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY  EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ....^-†$&£
&$†-^.....          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          .....^-†$&
£&$†-^....                                          ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^... ---------------------------------------- ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^. ON  THE  LAKE,   THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN .^-†$&£@##
#@£&$†-^.. BOATS.  I WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE ..^-†$&£@#
@£&$†-^... ME? IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN  TO ...^-†$&£@
£&$†-^....          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ....^-†$&£
&$†-^.....                                          .....^-†$&
£&$†-^....                                          ....^-†$&£
@£&$†-^...                                          ...^-†$&£@
#@£&$†-^..                                          ..^-†$&£@#
##@£&$†-^.                                          .^-†$&£@##