...¤.¤¤..¤ ..¤.¤.¤...
..¤¤..¤.¤. .¤¤.¤.¤...
.¤.¤.¤¤.¤. ..¤.¤.¤...
¤¤.¤..¤.¤. .¤¤.¤.¤...
.¤.¤.¤¤.¤. ..¤.¤.¤..¤
.¤.¤..¤.¤. 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? ..¤.¤.¤..¤
.¤.¤..¤.¤. .¤¤.¤.¤.¤¤
.¤.¤.¤¤.¤. ..¤.¤.¤..¤
.¤.¤..¤.¤. .¤¤.¤.¤.¤¤
.¤.¤.¤¤.¤. ..¤.¤.¤..¤
.¤.¤..¤.¤. .¤¤.¤.¤.¤¤