&&,&,,,,,& &,,,,,,,,&
,,&&&,,,,& ,&,,,,,,,&
&,&,,&,,,& ,&&,,,,,,&
,&&&,&&,,& &&,&,,,,,&
&&,,&&,&,& ,,&&&,,,,&
,,&,&,&&&& 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? &&,&&&,,,,
&,,&&&,&,, ,,&&,,&,,,
&&,&,,&&&, ,,&,&,&&,,
&,&&&,&,,& &,&&&&&,&,
&&&,,&&&,& ,&&,,,,&&&
,,,&,&,,&& ,&,&,,,&,,