&&..&....& ..&&&.&&.&
.&.&&...&& .&..&&.&&.
&&&.&..&.& &&.&.&&.&.
..&&&.&&&& .&&&&.&&&&
.&..&&...& &...&&...&
&&.&.&..&. 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? &&.&..&..&
&.....&&&. .&&&.&&.&.
&....&..&& &..&&.&&&&
&...&&.&.. &.&.&&....
&..&.&&&.. &&&&.&...&
&.&&&..&.& ...&&&..&.