,,~:%$¤@##                                          ##@¤$%:~,,
,,~:%$¤@##                                          ##@¤$%:~,,
,,~:%%%¤¤@                                          @¤¤%%%:~,,
,,,,,~~%¤#                                          #¤%~~,,,,,
,,~:%$¤¤@@                                          @@¤¤$%:~,,
,,,,::%$¤@               WINDS ESKER                @¤$%::,,,,
,,~:%$¤@## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##@¤$%:~,,
,,~:%$¤¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤¤$%:~,,
,,,,,~%¤@# 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 ¤¤%:::~,,,
,,~:%$¤@## BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD  THEY  EVEN SEE ##@¤$%:~,,
,,,,,:%$@# ME?  IF  I SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN TO #@$%:,,,,,
,,,,:::$¤#         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          #¤$:::,,,,
,,,,~~%$$@                                          @$$%~~,,,,
,,~:%$¤@@#                                          #@@¤$%:~,,
,,~:%$¤@##                                          ##@¤$%:~,,
,,,,~~%$¤¤                                          ¤¤$%~~,,,,
,,~~~::%¤#                                          #¤%::~~~,,