¨-~†**####                                          ####**†~-¨
¨-~†**####                                          ####**†~-¨
¨-~†**####                                          ####**†~-¨
¨-~†***###                                          ###***†~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~**#                                          #**~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-~~†*#               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?          ####**†~-¨
¨-~†**####                                          ####**†~-¨
¨¨---~~†*#                                          #*†~~---¨¨
¨-~†**####                                          ####**†~-¨
¨-~†**####                                          ####**†~-¨
¨¨¨~~~*###                                          ###*~~~¨¨¨