§$*«-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-«*$§
$*«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«*$
*«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«*
«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«
*«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«*
$*«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«*$
§$*«-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-«*$§
@§$*«-¨¨¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨¨¨-«*$§@
#@§$*«-¨¨¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨¨¨-«*$§@#
##@§$*«-¨¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨¨-«*$§@##
###@§$*«-¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨-«*$§@###
####@§$*«- -«*$§@####
###@§$*«-¨ ¨-«*$§@###
##@§$*«-¨¨ ¨¨-«*$§@##
#@§$*«-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-«*$§@#
@§$*«-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-«*$§@