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