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