@¶@@$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$@@¶@
¶¶@†^~,,,,                                          ,,,,~^†@¶¶
¶@@$††^~^,                                          ,^~^††$@@¶
¶@@$^^~^,,                                          ,,^~^^$@@¶
##@¶$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$¶@##
¶¶@@$†^~^,               WINDS ESKER                ,^~^†$@@¶¶
¶¶$†~~^^,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,^^~~†$¶¶
¶¶$$$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$$$¶¶
¶@$$$†^~^, THERE  WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,^~^†$$$@¶
#@¶@$†^~^, I  COULDN'T  GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH ,^~^†$@¶@#
@$^~~^^,,, DISCUSSED  WITH  OTHERS,  OR POINTED OUT ,,,^^~~^$@
#@¶@$†^~^, ON MAPS, I COULD  NOT THINK OF  IT  WHEN ,^~^†$@¶@#
#@¶@$†^~^, ALONE. I  WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST THE ,^~^†$@¶@#
¶@@$†^^~^, FORK,  WHERE A RIGHT  TURN  WOULD SURELY ,^~^^†$@@¶
¶$^~^,,,,, TAKE  ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,,,,,^~^$¶
#@¶@$†^~^,              KEPT ME AWAY.               ,^~^†$@¶@#
@@†~^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^~†@@
#@¶@$†^~^, WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT  THERE,  AFTER SOME ,^~^†$@¶@#
@$$†~~,,,,     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ,,,,~~†$$@
¶@$†††^~^, ASSUME,   THE  PLACE  WAS   SURREAL.  AN ,^~^†††$@¶
#@¶@$†^~^, ESKER,  LIKE A  NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT OUT IN ,^~^†$@¶@#
##@@$†^~^, THE  LAKE,   BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH  AND ,^~^†$@@##
#@¶@$†^~^, ADORNED IN BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN,  AND ,^~^†$@¶@#
#@¶@$†^~^,               BLUEBERRIES.               ,^~^†$@¶@#
#@¶@$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$@¶@#
##@¶@$^~^, WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ,^~^$@¶@##
@$^^^^,,,, NOTICE  THE VIEW  TO EITHER SIDE.  THERE ,,,,^^^^$@
@¶$^^,,,,, SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ,,,,,^^$¶@
#@¶@$†^~^, DIDN'T  RECOGNIZE THEM.  FIRST OFF, THEY ,^~^†$@¶@#
¶@@@$†^~^, WERE MUCH TOO  CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ,^~^†$@@@¶
@@¶@$†^~^, STRETCH  FOR  A  HUNDRED METERS MORE  ON ,^~^†$@¶@@
##@¶@$†~^, BOTH SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I  FELT  I  COULD ,^~†$@¶@##
#@¶@$†^~^, ALMOST REACH  OUT  AND  TOUCH  THEM. AND ,^~^†$@¶@#
@@†~^,,,,, 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 ,^~^^^^$$¶
#@¶@$†^~^,          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ,^~^†$@¶@#
#@¶@$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$@¶@#
@@@$^^^~^, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,^~^^^$@@@
@$$^~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~^$$@
#@¶@$†^~^, ON  THE   LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ,^~^†$@¶@#
#@¶@$†^~^, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY  EVEN  SEE ,^~^†$@¶@#
@@$†^~^^,, ME?  IF I SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY  TURN  TO ,,^^~^†$@@
¶@$^^,,,,,          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ,,,,,^^$@¶
@¶$^~~^^^,                                          ,^^^~~^$¶@
#@¶@$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$@¶@#
#@¶@$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$@¶@#
##@@$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$@@##
¶¶¶@$†^~^,                                          ,^~^†$@¶¶¶