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