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