###¤£^*«.¨ ¨.«*^£¤###
###¤£^*«.¨ ¨.«*^£¤###
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##¤^^^*«.¨ ¨.«*^^^¤##
####£^*«.¨ 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? ¨.«*^£¤###
###¤£^*«.¨ ¨.«*^£¤###
###¤£^*«.¨ ¨.«*^£¤###
¤£***«¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨«***£¤
#£££*«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«*£££#
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