&¨¨¨&&¨&¨& ¨¨¨&&¨&&¨¨
¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨&&¨&&&¨
¨¨&¨&&&¨¨¨ ¨¨¨&&¨&¨&&
&¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨ ¨¨¨&&¨¨¨&&
&&¨¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨
&&&¨¨¨&¨&& 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? ¨&¨¨¨&&&¨¨
¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨&¨¨&¨&&¨
¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨& ¨¨¨&¨¨¨&&&
&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨&
&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨&
¨&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨&