¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*
%*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*%
$%*=~¨¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨¨¨~=*%$
&$%*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*%$&
#&$%*=~¨¨¨ on the lake, there were people in ¨¨¨~=*%$&#
##&$%*=~¨¨ boats. i wondered, could they even see ¨¨~=*%$&##
###&$%*=~¨ me? if i shouted, would they turn to ¨~=*%$&###
##&$%*=~¨¨ stare right through me? ¨¨~=*%$&##
#&$%*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*%$&#
&$%*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*%$&
$%*=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=*%$
%*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*%
*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*