,&,&&&&,&,                                          ,&,&&,&,,,
&&&,,,&&&&                                          &&&,&&&,,,
,,&,,&,,,&                                          ,,&&,,&,,&
,&&,&&,,&,                                          ,&,&,&&,&&
&,&&,&,&&&                                          &&&&&,&&,&
&&,&&&&,,&               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?         &,&,&,,,,&
,,&&,,&,,&                                          &&&&&,,,&&
,&,&,&&,&&                                          ,,,,&,,&,&
&&&&&,&&,&                                          ,,,&&,&&&&
,,,,&&,&&&                                          ,,&,&&,,,,
,,,&,&&,,,                                          ,&&&,&,,,,