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