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