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