¨,»*%*§¶@#                                          #@¶§*%*»,¨
¨,»*%*§¶@#                                          #@¶§*%*»,¨
¨¨¨¨,,,*%§                                          §%*,,,¨¨¨¨
¨,»*%*§¶@#                                          #@¶§*%*»,¨
¨,»*%*¶@##                                          ##@¶*%*»,¨
¨,»**§¶@##                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?          ##@¶*%*»,¨
¨¨¨¨,,»%*¶                                          ¶*%»,,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨»%%§@                                          @§%%»¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»*%*§¶@#                                          #@¶§*%*»,¨
¨,»*%*§¶@#                                          #@¶§*%*»,¨
¨¨¨»**%**¶                                          ¶**%**»¨¨¨