¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~\ \~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~ ~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨