¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨ ¨&&&&&&&&¨
&&¨¨&¨¨&&& ¨¨&&&&&&¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨&&&&¨¨¨
&&&&&&&¨¨& &&¨¨&&¨¨&&
&&&&&&¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&&&&&¨¨&&& 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? &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&