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