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