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