&¨¨¨&¨&¨&¨ &&¨¨¨¨¨&¨&
¨&¨¨&&&&&& ¨¨&¨¨¨¨&&&
&&&¨&¨¨¨¨¨ &¨&&¨¨¨&¨¨
&¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨ &&&¨&¨¨&&¨
&&¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ &¨¨&&&¨&¨&
¨¨&&&¨&&¨¨ 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? &&&¨¨¨¨&¨&
¨&&&¨&¨&¨& ¨¨¨&¨¨¨&&&
&&¨¨&&&&&& &¨¨&&¨¨&¨¨
&¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&&¨
&&&&&&¨¨¨¨ &&&&&&&&¨&
¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&