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