§¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
§§§§§§§¨§¨                                          §§¨§¨§¨¨¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§§                                          ¨§§§§§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨§§§¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨§¨§§§               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?         ¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨§§¨¨
§§§¨§¨¨§§¨                                          §§§§¨§¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§§§¨§
¨§¨¨§§§§§¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§§
§§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨§