¨¨,»^^£¤## ##¤£^^»,¨¨
¨,»^^£¤### ###¤£^^»,¨
¨¨,»^^£¤## ##¤£^^»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»^^£¤# #¤£^^»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»^^£¤ ¤£^^»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»^^£ 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? ¤£^^»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»^^£ £^^»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»^^£¤ ¤£^^»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»^^£¤# #¤£^^»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»^^£¤## ##¤£^^»,¨¨
¨,»^^£¤### ###¤£^^»,¨