##¨##¨#¨#¨ #¨##¨¨¨###
¨##¨#####¨ ##¨#¨¨#¨¨¨
#¨##¨¨¨¨## ¨###¨##¨¨¨
##¨#¨¨¨#¨¨ #¨¨##¨#¨¨#
¨###¨¨##¨¨ #¨#¨###¨#¨
#¨¨#¨#¨#¨# 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? ####¨¨¨###
¨#¨¨#¨##¨¨ ¨¨¨#¨¨#¨¨#
##¨###¨#¨# ¨¨##¨##¨##
¨##¨¨##### ¨#¨##¨##¨¨
#¨#¨#¨¨¨¨# ###¨##¨#¨¨
#####¨¨¨## ¨¨##¨###¨#