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