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