¨&¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨ &¨¨&¨&¨¨¨&
¨¨&¨¨¨&¨¨¨ &&¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨
¨¨¨&¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨
¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨&¨ ¨&&&¨¨¨¨&¨
¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨& ¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨&
&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ 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? &&&¨¨&¨&&¨
¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨ &¨&&¨¨¨&&&
&¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨ ¨¨&&&¨¨&¨&
&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨& ¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨&
¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨&
¨&&&¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨