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