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