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