¨^-*^£@###                                          ###@£^*-^¨
¨^-*^£@###                                          ###@£^*-^¨
¨¨¨¨^*££@#                                          #@££*^¨¨¨¨
¨^^--*££@@                                          @@££*--^^¨
¨^-*^£@###                                          ###@£^*-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨-*££#                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?          ###@£^*-^¨
¨^-*^££££#                                          #££££^*-^¨
¨^-*^£@###                                          ###@£^*-^¨
¨^^--*£@##                                          ##@£*--^^¨
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