¨¨&&¨&&¨&& ¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨&&¨&&¨¨ ¨¨&&¨¨¨&&¨
&&&¨&&¨&¨¨ ¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨
¨¨&&¨&&&¨¨ &&&&¨&&&&&
¨&¨&&¨¨&¨¨ ¨¨¨&&¨¨¨¨&
&&&¨&¨&&¨& 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? ¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨¨
&¨&¨¨&&&&¨ ¨¨¨¨&¨&¨¨&
&&&¨&¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨&&&&¨&¨
¨¨&&&¨¨&¨& ¨¨&¨¨¨&&&&
¨&¨¨&¨&&&¨ ¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨&
&&¨&&&¨¨&& &¨&¨&&¨¨&&