,§,§,§§,§,                                          ,§,§§§§,§,
§§,§,,§,§,                                          ,§,,§§§,§,
,§,§,§§,§,                                          ,§,§,§§,§,
§§,§,,§,§,                                          ,§,§,,§,§,
,§,§,§§,§,                                          ,§,§,§§,§,
§§,§,,§,§,               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?          ,§,§,§§,§,
§§,§,,§,§,                                          ,§,§,,§,§,
,§,§,§§,§,                                          ,§,§,§§,§,
§§,§,,§,§,                                          ,§,§,,§,§,
,§,§,§§,§,                                          ,§,§,§§,§,
§§,§,,§,§,                                          ,§,§,,§,§,