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