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