¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨ §§¨¨§¨§¨¨¨
§§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
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¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§§
¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨ §§¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ 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? §§¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§§
¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨ §§¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§§
¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨ §§¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§§