*«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«*
=*«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«*=
%=*«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«*=%
£%=*«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«*=%£
@£%=*«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«*=%£@
#@£%=*«,¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨,«*=%£@
#@£%=*«,¨¨ ¨¨,«*=%£@#
##@£%=*«,¨ ¨,«*=%£@##
#@£%=*«,¨¨ ¨¨,«*=%£@#
@£%=*«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«*=%£@
£%=*«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«*=%£