¨#¨####¨¨¨ ###¨##¨¨¨#
###¨¨¨#¨¨# ¨¨##¨#¨¨##
¨¨#¨¨##¨## ¨#¨###¨#¨¨
¨##¨#¨##¨¨ ###¨¨###¨¨
#¨####¨#¨¨ ¨¨#¨#¨¨#¨¨
##¨¨¨###¨¨ 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? ##¨¨###¨¨#
#¨¨¨¨##¨¨# ¨#¨#¨¨#¨##
#¨¨¨#¨#¨#¨ ####¨###¨¨
#¨¨######¨ ¨¨¨##¨¨#¨#
#¨#¨¨¨¨¨## ¨¨#¨#¨###¨
###¨¨¨¨#¨¨ ¨#####¨¨##