¨#¨##¨¨### ¨#¨##¨¨#¨#
¨#¨¨#¨#¨## ¨#¨¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨##¨#¨¨# ¨#¨##¨¨#¨#
¨#¨¨#¨#¨## ¨#¨¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨##¨#¨¨# ¨#¨##¨¨#¨#
¨#¨¨#¨#¨## 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? ¨#¨##¨¨#¨#
¨#¨¨#¨#¨## ¨#¨¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨##¨#¨¨# ¨#¨##¨¨#¨#
¨#¨¨#¨#¨## ¨#¨¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨##¨#¨¨# ¨#¨##¨¨#¨#
¨#¨¨#¨#¨## ¨#¨¨#¨##¨#