¨¨¨.~:†¤&# #&¤†:~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:†¤& &¤†:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:†¤ ¤†:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:† †:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~: :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ 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? ¤†:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:†¤& &¤†:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~:†¤&# #&¤†:~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~:†¤&## ##&¤†:~.¨¨
¨.~:†¤&### ###&¤†:~.¨
¨¨.~:†¤&## ##&¤†:~.¨¨