,^«†**$£££                                          £££$**†«^,
,^«†*$@###                                          ###@$*†«^,
,,,^^††*£@                                          @£*††^^,,,
,^«†*$£@##                                          ##@£$*†«^,
,^^^«««*$@                                          @$*«««^^^,
,,,,,,«*$£                WINDS ESKER               £$*«,,,,,,
,,,^†**$@# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #@$**†^,,,
,^«†*$£@@@                                          @@@£$*†«^,
,,,,,,«*£@ 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 £$$††^^^,,
,,,,«†††$@ MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I  CURRENTLY SAT ON, @$†††«,,,,
,^«†*$£@@# OLD AND  WORN DOWN,  THAT  LEAD  YOU  UP #@@£$*†«^,
,^«†*$£@## ONTO THE ESKER.  THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##@£$*†«^,
,,,,«**$@# I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE PATH  AT ITS #@$**«,,,,
,,,^««††$£ FOOT, I'M SURE  MY  EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE £$††««^,,,
,^«†*$@###          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ###@$*†«^,
,,,^†††**£                                          £**†††^,,,
,^«†*$£### «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ###£$*†«^,
,^«†****£#                                          #£****†«^,
,^«†*$£@## ON  THE  LAKE,   THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN ##@£$*†«^,
,^«†*$£@## BOATS. I  WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE ##@£$*†«^,
,^«†*$£@## ME? IF  I  SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY  TURN TO ##@£$*†«^,
,^«†*$£@##         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ##@£$*†«^,
,,,,,,^†$@                                          @$†^,,,,,,
,,,,«*$$$@                                          @$$$*«,,,,
,^«†*$£@##                                          ##@£$*†«^,
,^«†*$£@##                                          ##@£$*†«^,
,^«†*$£@##                                          ##@£$*†«^,