#§$$**=,,,                                          ,,,=**$$§#
###¶§%*=,,                                          ,,=*%§¶###
###§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§###
¶¶¶§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§¶¶¶
##¶§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§¶##
##¶§$%*=,,                winds esker               ,,=*%$§¶##
#§$$$%*=,, ======================================== ,,=*%$$$§#
##¶§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§¶##
¶$$%%===,, there  was this place that for two years ,,===%%$$¶
###¶§%*=,, 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 ,,,,,=%%§¶
##¶§$%*=,, much  like  the ones i currently sat on, ,,=*%$§¶##
##¶§$%*=,, old and worn  down,  that  lead  you  up ,,=*%$§¶##
##¶§$%*=,, onto  the esker. the point of entry. had ,,=*%$§¶##
§$$%*=,,,, i insted opted to  walk  the path at its ,,,,=*%$$§
##¶§$%*=,, foot, i'm  sure  my  experience would've ,,=*%$§¶##
#¶$%*=,,,,          been different indeed.          ,,,,=*%$¶#
§%=,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,=%§
##¶§$%*=,, ======================================== ,,=*%$§¶##
#¶¶§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§¶¶#
###¶$%*=,, on  the  lake,   there  were  people  in ,,=*%$¶###
#¶¶§$%*=,, boats. i  wondered,  could they even see ,,=*%$§¶¶#
##¶§$%*=,, me? if  i  shouted, would  they  turn to ,,=*%$§¶##
§§§§$%*=,,          stare right through me?         ,,=*%$§§§§
¶§§$$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$$§§¶
##¶§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§¶##
##¶§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§¶##
###§$%*=,,                                          ,,=*%$§###
¶§§%===,,,                                          ,,,===%§§¶