,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
†~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~†
^†~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~†^
*^†~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~†^*
#*^†~,¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨,~†^*
^†~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~†^
†~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~†
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨