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