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