,§,§,,§,,,                                          §§,§§,§,§§
,§,§,§§,,,                                          ,§,,§,§,,§
,§,§,,§,,,                                          ,§,§§,§,§§
,§,§,§§,,,                                          ,§,,§,§,,§
,§,§,,§,,§                                          ,§,§§,§,§§
,§,§,§§,§§                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?         ,§,§§,§,§§
,§,§,§§,§§                                          ,§,,§,§,,§
,§,§,,§,,§                                          ,§,§§,§,§§
,§,§,§§,§§                                          ,§,,§,§,,§
,§,§,,§,,§                                          ,§,§§,§,§§
,§,§,§§,§§                                          ,§,,§,§,,§