¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~; ;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;= =;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;=£ 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? =;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;=£ £=;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;=£§ §£=;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~;=£§# #§£=;~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~;=£§## ##§£=;~~¨¨
¨~~;=£§### ###§£=;~~¨