#@#&§=:«~¨ ¨~«:=§&#@#
@#&§=:«~¨¨ ¨¨~«:=§&#@
#&§=:«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«:=§&#
&§=:«~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~«:=§&
§=:«~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~«:=§
=:«~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«:
«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨