##%†==,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,==†%##
####%%†=,¨                                          ¨,=†%%####
##@@%%†=,¨                                          ¨,=†%%@@##
####%%†=,¨                                          ¨,=†%%####
@%†=¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨=†%@
@@%††==,¨¨               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?         ¨,=†%%@###
@%%%†=¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨=†%%%@
###@%%†=,¨                                          ¨,=†%%@###
###@%%†=,¨                                          ¨,=†%%@###
###@%%†=,¨                                          ¨,=†%%@###
#%%%%%†=,¨                                          ¨,=†%%%%%#