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