##@¤¤§=~,¨ ¨,~=§¤¤@##
@¤§~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~§¤@
@¤¤§===~,¨ ¨,~===§¤¤@
##@¤¤§=~,¨ ¨,~=§¤¤@##
##@¤¤§=~,¨ ¨,~=§¤¤@##
##@¤¤§=~,¨ 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? ¨,~=§¤¤@##
###@¤¤§=,¨ ¨,=§¤¤@###
##@¤¤§=~,¨ ¨,~=§¤¤@##
#@¤¤§==~,¨ ¨,~==§¤¤@#
##@¤¤§=~,¨ ¨,~=§¤¤@##
#¤¤§=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=§¤¤#