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