¨¨¨¨¨¨~-*^                                          ^*-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-*^§                                          §^*-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-*^§§                                          §§^*-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~-*^§§#                                          #§§^*-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-*^§§##                                          ##§§^*-~¨¨
¨~-*^§§###               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?          ^*-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-*^§                                          §^*-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-*^§§                                          §§^*-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~-*^§§#                                          #§§^*-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-*^§§##                                          ##§§^*-~¨¨
¨~-*^§§###                                          ###§§^*-~¨