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