&&&,,&,&,, ,&&,&,&,,,
&,,&,&&&&, &&,&&&&&,,
&&,&&&,,,& &,&&,,,,&,
&,&&,,&,,& &&&,&,,,&&
,&&,&,&&,& &,,&&&,,&,
,&,&&&&,&& 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? &,,&,,,&&,
,&&,&,&&&& ,&,&&,,&,&
&&,&&&&,,, ,&&&,&,&&&
,,&&,,,&,, &&,,&&&&,,
,,&,&,,&&, ,,&,&,,,&,
,,&&&&,&,& &,&&&&,,&&