¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,= =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=: :=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:^ ^:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=:^¤ ¤^:=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=:^¤# #¤^:=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=:^¤## 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? #¤^:=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=:^¤## ##¤^:=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=:^¤### ###¤^:=,¨¨
¨,=:^¤#### ####¤^:=,¨
¨¨,=:^¤### ###¤^:=,¨¨
¨¨¨,=:^¤## ##¤^:=,¨¨¨