\«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«\
%\«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«\%
£%\«.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.«\%£
#£%\«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«\%£#
##£%\«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«\%£##
###£%\«.¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«\
«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«