~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«
\«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«\
%\«~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«\%
%%\«~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~«\%%
#%%\«~¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨~«\%%
#%%\«~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~«\%%#
##%%\«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«\%%##
###%%\«~¨¨ ¨¨~«\%%###
####%%\«~¨ ¨~«\%%####
###%%\«~¨¨ ¨¨~«\%%###