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