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