##@#$†^~~,                                          ,~~^†$#@##
##$^^~,,,,                                          ,,,,~^^$##
###@#$†^~,                                          ,~^†$#@###
@$$^~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~^$$@
##@#$†^~~,                                          ,~~^†$#@##
@@#$^^~,,,               winds esker                ,,,~^^$#@@
###@$†^~~, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,~~^†$@###
####$†^~~,                                          ,~~^†$####
#@$^~,,,,, there was  this place that for two years ,,,,,~^$@#
##@#$†^~~, i  couldn't go to.  regardless  how much ,~~^†$#@##
#@@#$†^~~, discussed with  others, or  pointed  out ,~~^†$#@@#
#$†^~,,,,, on maps,  i  could  not think of it when ,,,,,~^†$#
@$†††~~,,, alone.  i  would often  travel past  the ,,,~~†††$@
###†~,,,,, 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 ,,,,~~~~†#
##@#$†^~~, me?  if i shouted,  would  they turn  to ,~~^†$#@##
##@#$†^~~,          stare right through me?         ,~~^†$#@##
@@@#$†^~~,                                          ,~~^†$#@@@
#†††~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~†††#
##@#$†^~~,                                          ,~~^†$#@##
#†^~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~^†#
@##$†^^~~,                                          ,~~^^†$##@