¤&**«,.... ....,«**&¤
&**«,..... .....,«**&
**«,...... ......,«**
*«,....... .......,«*
«,........ ........,«
,......... 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? ....,«**&¤
#¤&**«,... ...,«**&¤#
##¤&**«,.. ..,«**&¤##
###¤&**«,. .,«**&¤###
##¤&**«,.. ..,«**&¤##
#¤&**«,... ...,«**&¤#