¨&&¨&¨&&¨¨ ¨&&¨¨¨&¨¨¨
¨&&¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨&&&¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&&&¨¨&¨&& ¨&¨&&¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨&&¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨&
¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨ &¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨
¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨ 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? ¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨¨
&¨&&¨¨&¨&& ¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨
¨¨&&&¨¨¨&& &¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨
¨¨&¨&&¨¨&¨ ¨&¨¨¨&&&¨¨
¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨&¨&&¨
¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨ &¨¨&¨¨¨&&&