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