¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~« «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«= =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=^ ^=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=^& 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨