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