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