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