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