¨¨¨¨^»=*%§                                          §%*=»^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^»=*%                                          %*=»^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^»=*                                          *=»^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»=                                          =»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»                                          »^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»=                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?          §%*=»^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^»=*%                                          %*=»^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^»=*                                          *=»^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»=                                          =»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»                                          »^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»=                                          =»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨