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