##¶¤&^*~:. .:~*^&¤¶##
##¶¤&^*~:. .:~*^&¤¶##
¶¤&&&^*~:. .:~*^&&&¤¶
¶¶&&*~:::. .:::~*&&¶¶
¤¤^*~:.... ....:~*^¤¤
¤^~....... 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? .:~*^&¤¶##
¶¤&&^~~... ...~~^&&¤¶
##¶¤&^*~:. .:~*^&¤¶##
###¤&^*~:. .:~*^&¤###
#¶&&^~~:.. ..:~~^&&¶#
¤^~:...... ......:~^¤