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