&&,,&&&&&&                                          &&&&,&&,&,
&,&,&,,,,,                                          &,,,&&,&&&
,&&&&&,,,,                                          ,&,,&,&&,,
,&,,,,&,,,                                          ,&&,&&&,&,
,&&,,,&&,,                                          ,&,&&,,&&&
&&,&,,&,&,                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?         &&&,,&,&,,
,&&&&&&&,,                                          &,,&,&&&&,
,&,,,,,,&,                                          &&,&&&,,,&
&&&,,,,,&&                                          &,&&,,&,,&
,,,&,,,,&,                                          ,&&,&,&&,&
&,,&&,,,&&                                          ,&,&&&&,&&