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