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