¨¨¨,-\¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤\-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-\§¤¤¤ ¤¤¤§\-¨¨¨¨
¨¨,--§§¤¤¤ ¤¤¤§§--,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-§¤¤ ¤¤§-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,\¤¤¶# #¶¤¤\,¨¨¨¨
¨,-\§¤¤¶## 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? ###¤¤§\-,¨
¨,-\¤¤¶### ###¶¤¤\-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,\§¤ ¤§\,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-\§¤¤¤¶# #¶¤¤¤§\-,¨
¨,-\§¤¤¶¶# #¶¶¤¤§\-,¨
¨,-\§¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤§\-,¨