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