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