,-~^$%§£@#                                          #@£§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§§§§                                          §§§§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§£@#                                          #@£§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§£@#                                          #@£§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§£@#                                          #@£§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§£@@               winds esker                @@£§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§£@@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @@£§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§@##                                          ##@§%$^~-,
,,,-~^$§§£ there  was this place that for two years £§§$^~-,,,
,,,~~~^^%£ 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 £§$$^-,,,,
,-~~~~$§§£ me?  if i shouted,  would they  turn  to £§§$~~~~-,
,-~^$%§£@#         stare right through me?          #@£§%$^~-,
,,,,,~$$$§                                          §$$$~,,,,,
,-~^^^$%§£                                          £§%$^^^~-,
,-~^$%§£@#                                          #@£§%$^~-,
,-~^$%§£@#                                          #@£§%$^~-,
,,,,~^^$§§                                          §§$^^~,,,,