§§¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨§
¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§               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?         ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§§                                          §§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§                                          §§§¨¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§                                          §¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨