¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§                                          §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=                                          =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«                                          «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=                                          =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§                                          §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§¤               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?         §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=                                          =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«                                          «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=                                          =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§                                          §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§¤                                          ¤§=«~¨¨¨¨¨