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###§§%=«:¨ winds esker ¨:«=%§§###
###§§%=«:¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨:«=%§§###
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###§§%=«:¨ 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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