,,,##,,#,,                                          ,,##,,,##,
,,,#,#,##,                                          #,#,#,,#,#
#,,#####,#                                          ,#####,###
,#,#,,,,##                                          ,#,,,,##,,
,####,,,#,                                          ,##,,,#,#,
,#,,,#,,##               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?         ##,##,,###
,,,,#,,###                                          ,,##,#,#,,
,,,,##,#,,                                          ,,#,#####,
,,,,#,###,                                          ,,###,,,,#
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