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