¨##¨¨¨##¨# #¨¨##¨#¨##
¨¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨#¨¨#
¨##¨##¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨#¨##
¨¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨#¨¨#
¨##¨##¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨#¨##
¨¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ 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? #¨#¨#¨#¨##
¨¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨#¨¨#
¨##¨##¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨#¨##
¨¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨#¨¨#
¨##¨##¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨#¨##
¨¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨#¨¨#