#@#§&$=-,¨ ¨,-=$&§#@#
§&=,,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,,=&§
@#&$$==-,¨ ¨,-==$$@
#§&==-,,¨¨ ¨¨,,-==&§#
#@#§&$=-,¨ ¨,-=$&§#@#
@@#§&$=-,¨ winds esker ¨,-=$&§#@@
#@#§&$=-,¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨,-=$&§#@#
#&=-,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,-=
#@#§&$=-,¨ there was this place that for two years ¨,-=$&§#@#
#@#§&$=-,¨ i couldn't go to. regardless how much ¨,-=$&§#@#
#&=--,,¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨,,,=&§##
##&&&$=-,¨ factory, the bridge over route ¨,-=$&&#
#@#§&$=-,¨ twenty three and then back under it, ¨,-=$&§#@#
@##§&$=-,¨ through the fancy villas, over the ¨,-=$&§##@
§$$=,¨¨¨¨¨ fields, and then that right turn at the ¨¨¨¨¨,=$$§
#§§$==-¨¨¨ fork. ¨¨¨-==$§§#
###§&$=-,¨ ¨,-=$&§###
#§$-,,,¨¨¨ and then the stairs up on the ridge. ¨¨¨,,,-$§#
§$$=----,¨ thinking back, this was probably it. ¨,----=$$§
§$--¨¨¨¨¨¨ hidden in a grove, there were stairs ¨¨¨¨¨¨--$§
#@#§&$=-,¨ much like the ones i currently sat on, ¨,-=$&§#@#
##§$$==-,¨ old and worn down, that lead you up ¨,-==$$§##
##§§&$=-,¨ onto the esker. the point of entry. had ¨,-=$&§§##
##§§&$=-,¨ i insted opted to walk the path at its ¨,-=$&§§##
###§&$=-,¨ foot, i'm sure my experience would've ¨,-=$&§###
###§&$=-,¨ been different indeed. ¨,-=$&§###
##@#§&=-,¨ ¨,-=&§#@##
@§$--¨¨¨¨¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨¨¨¨¨--$§@
#@#§&$=-,¨ ¨,-=$&§#@#
#@#§&$=-,¨ on the lake, there were people in ¨,-=$&§#@#
§$===,¨¨¨¨ boats. i wondered, could they even see ¨¨¨¨,===$§
@##§&$=-,¨ me? if i shouted, would they turn to ¨,-=$&§##@
#@#§&$=-,¨ stare right through me? ¨,-=$&§#@#
##@§&$=-,¨ ¨,-=$&§@##
##&$---,¨¨ ¨¨,---$#
##&&&$=-,¨ ¨,-=$&&#
@@#§&$=-,¨ ¨,-=$&§#@@
#&&&$--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--$&&