##¶§£^*=~.                                          .~=*^£§¶##
¶¶¶§£^*=~.                                          .~=*^£§¶¶¶
#¶££*=~~~.                                          .~~~=*££¶#
##¶§£^*=~.                                          .~=*^£§¶##
¶§££^**=~.                                          .~=**^££§¶
##¶§£^*=~.               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?          .~=*^£§¶##
§§^^^^*=~.                                          .~=*^^^^§§
¶§£*~.....                                          .....~*£§¶
##¶§£^*=~.                                          .~=*^£§¶##
##¶§£^*=~.                                          .~=*^£§¶##
#§£^=.....                                          .....=^£§#