......¤... .....¤....
¤¤¤¤¤...¤¤ ¤¤¤¤...¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤..¤..¤ .¤¤..¤..¤¤
¤¤¤....... .........¤
¤¤..¤¤¤¤¤. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤..
.....¤¤¤.. 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? ¤¤..¤¤....
..¤..¤¤¤¤¤ ¤......¤¤¤
......¤¤¤. ..¤¤¤¤..¤.
¤¤¤¤¤..¤.. ¤..¤¤.....
.¤¤¤...... ......¤¤¤.
..¤..¤¤¤¤¤ .¤¤¤¤..¤..