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