##£#£$/«:.                                          .:«/$£#£##
##£#£$/«:.                                          .:«/$£#£##
##£#£$/«:.                                          .:«/$£#£##
#$///:....                                          ....:///$#
##$/««....                                          ....««/$##
##$««:....               winds esker                ....:««$##
####£$/«:. «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« .:«/$£####
£££#£$/«:.                                          .:«/$£#£££
##£/::.... 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 ....:/££##
##£#£$/«:. boats. i wondered,  could they even  see .:«/$£#£##
##£#£$/«:. me?  if  i shouted, would  they  turn to .:«/$£#£##
##£#£$/«:.          stare right through me?         .:«/$£#£##
#£££$/:...                                          ...:/$£££#
##$///«...                                          ...«///$##
##£#£$/«:.                                          .:«/$£#£##
##£#£$/«:.                                          .:«/$£#£##
##$/::::..                                          ..::::/$##