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