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