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