«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^=
@=^«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«^=@
#@=^«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«^=@#
##@=^«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«^=@##
###@=^«:¨¨ ¨¨:«^=@###
####@=^«:¨ ¨:«^=@####