¨&&&¨¨&&¨¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨&&¨&&&¨ ¨&&&¨¨¨¨¨&
¨¨¨&&¨&¨&& ¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨&&¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨
¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨ 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? &&¨¨&¨&&¨¨
¨&¨¨&¨&&¨¨ ¨&&¨¨¨&&&¨
¨¨&¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨&&&¨¨&¨&&
&¨¨&¨¨&¨&& ¨&¨&&¨¨¨&&
&&¨¨&¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨
&&&¨¨&¨¨&¨ &¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨