,,,&,&&,,& &,,,,&,,&,
,,,,,&&&,, ,&,,,,&,,&
&,,,,&,&&, ,,&,,,,&,,
,&,,,,,&&& ,,,&,,,,&,
,,&,,,,&,& ,,,,&,,,,&
&,,&,,,,,& 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? ,,&&&,,,&,
&&&,,&,&&, ,,&,&&,,,,
&,&&,,,&&& ,,,,&&&,,,
,,&&&,,&,& &,,,&,&&,,
,,&,&&,,,& ,&,,,,&&&,
,,,,&&&,,& ,,&,,,&,&&