¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-; ;-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-; ;-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-;* *;-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-;*& &*;-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-;*&& 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? ;-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-; ;-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-;* *;-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-;*& &*;-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-;*&& &&*;-~¨¨¨¨