%†«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«†%
@%†«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«†%@
@@%†«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«†%@@
¶@@%†«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«†%@@¶
@¶@@%†«,¨¨ ¨¨,«†%@@¶@
#@¶@@%†«,¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
†«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«†
%†«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«†%
@%†«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«†%@