¤¤¤,,,,,,, ,¤¤,,,¤¤¤¤
¤¤,,¤¤¤¤¤¤ ,,,,¤,,¤¤¤
¤,,,,¤¤¤¤¤ ,¤¤,,,,,¤¤
,,¤¤,,¤¤¤, ,,,,¤¤¤,,¤
,,,,,,,¤,, ¤¤¤,,¤,,,,
¤¤¤¤¤¤,,,, 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? ,,,¤¤¤,,,,
¤¤¤,,,,¤¤¤ ¤¤,,¤,,¤¤¤
¤¤,,¤¤,,¤¤ ,,,,,,,,¤¤
¤,,,,,,,,¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤,,¤
,,¤¤¤¤¤¤,, ,¤¤¤¤¤,,,,
¤,,¤¤¤¤,,, ,,¤¤¤,,¤¤¤