=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
\=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=\
§\=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=\§
$§\=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=\§$
#$§\=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=\§$#
£#$§\=,¨¨¨ winds esker ¨¨¨,=\§$#£
#£#$§\=,¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨,=\§$#£#
##£#$§\=,¨ ¨,=\§$#£##
#£#$§\=,¨¨ there was this place that for two years ¨¨,=\§$#£#
£#$§\=,¨¨¨ i couldn't go to. regardless how much ¨¨¨,=\§$#£
#$§\=,¨¨¨¨ discussed with others, or pointed out ¨¨¨¨,=\§$#
$§\=,¨¨¨¨¨ on maps, i could not think of it when ¨¨¨¨¨,=\§$
§\=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
\=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=\
§\=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=\§
$§\=,¨¨¨¨¨ on the lake, there were people in ¨¨¨¨¨,=\§$
#$§\=,¨¨¨¨ boats. i wondered, could they even see ¨¨¨¨,=\§$#
£#$§\=,¨¨¨ me? if i shouted, would they turn to ¨¨¨,=\§$#£
#£#$§\=,¨¨ stare right through me? ¨¨,=\§$#£#
##£#$§\=,¨ ¨,=\§$#£##
#£#$§\=,¨¨ ¨¨,=\§$#£#
£#$§\=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=\§$#£
#$§\=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=\§$#
$§\=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=\§$