¨^~^†@@@@#                                          #@@@@†^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^†@#                                          #@†^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~~††@                                          @††~~~¨¨¨¨
¨^~^†@@###                                          ###@@†^~^¨
¨^~^††@@@#                                          #@@@††^~^¨
¨^~^†@@###                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?         ###@@†^~^¨
¨^~^†@@###                                          ###@@†^~^¨
¨¨¨^~^††@@                                          @@††^~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†@@#                                          #@@†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^^†@@#                                          #@@†^^^¨¨¨
¨^~^†@@@##                                          ##@@@†^~^¨