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