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