¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§§§¨¨¨§§§
¨¨§§¨¨§¨§¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§§§§§                                          §¨§§¨§§¨§§
§§§§§¨¨¨¨§                                          §§¨§§¨§§¨§
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§§¨§§¨§§¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨§                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?          ¨¨§¨§§§¨§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨§§                                          ¨§§§¨¨§§¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§§¨§¨§¨¨                                          §¨§§§§§§§¨
§§¨§§§§§¨§                                          §§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨