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