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