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