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