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