§§§¨¨§§¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§§¨§
§¨¨§§§§§§§                                          §§¨§¨¨§¨§§
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§§§¨§§§¨
¨§§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §§§¨¨§§¨¨§
§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨                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?          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨§§§¨§§§§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨§
§¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨                                          §§¨§¨¨§§¨§
¨§§§¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§¨§¨§§
§§¨¨§§§§§¨                                          §¨§¨¨§§§§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§                                          §§§§¨§¨¨¨§