##¶@$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$@¶##
#¶$$$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$$$¶#
#¶@$^~,,,,                                          ,,,,~^$@¶#
##¶@$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$@¶##
¶@@$^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^$@@¶
¶¶@$^,,,,,               winds esker                ,,,,,^$@¶¶
¶¶¶@$%^~,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,~^%$@¶¶¶
#¶@@$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$@@¶#
###¶@$%^,, there was this place that for  two years ,,^%$@¶###
@$^^~,,,,, i couldn't  go to.  regardless how  much ,,,,,~^^$@
##¶@$%^~,, discussed  with others, or  pointed  out ,,~^%$@¶##
##¶@$%^~,, on maps,  i could not think of  it  when ,,~^%$@¶##
###¶@$%~,, alone.  i would  often  travel  past the ,,~%$@¶###
##¶@$%^~,, fork, where a  right  turn would  surely ,,~^%$@¶##
¶@@%~,,,,, 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 ,,,,,~%@@#
##¶@$%^~,, foot,  i'm  sure  my experience would've ,,~^%$@¶##
##¶@$%^~,,          been different indeed.          ,,~^%$@¶##
#@$$^^^~,,                                          ,,~^^^$$@#
¶¶@@$%^~,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,~^%$@@¶¶
##¶@$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$@¶##
¶$%~,,,,,, on   the  lake,  there  were  people  in ,,,,,,~%$¶
##¶@$%^~,, boats. i wondered, could  they  even see ,,~^%$@¶##
##¶@$%^~,, me?  if  i shouted,  would they  turn to ,,~^%$@¶##
¶¶$%%^,,,,         stare right through me?          ,,,,^%%$¶¶
##¶@$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$@¶##
#@@%^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^%@@#
##¶@$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$@¶##
@$^~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~^$@
##¶@$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$@¶##