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