#@@@$%*~~. .~~*%$@@@#
##@@$%*~~. .~~*%$@@##
##@@$%*~~. .~~*%$@@##
#@@@$%*~~. .~~*%$@@@#
@%~~...... ......~~%@
@@@@$%*~~. WINDS ESKER .~~*%$@@@@
##@@$%*~~. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .~~*%$@@##
@$$%***~~. .~~***%$$@
#@$%**~~~. THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS .~~~**%$@#
##@@$%*~~. I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH .~~*%$@@##
@%**~~~~~. 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? .....~*%@@
@%~~...... ......~~%@
##@@$%*~~. .~~*%$@@##
@$%~...... ......~%$@
#@@$*~~~.. ..~~~*$@@#
@@%**~.... ....~**%@@