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