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