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