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