@$:::::=^¨                                          ¨^=:::::$@
@@$:^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^:$@@
##@¤$%:=^¨                                          ¨^=:%$¤@##
@$:=^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^=:$@
##@¤$%:=^¨                                          ¨^=:%$¤@##
###@¤%:=^¨                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 ¨¨¨^=::%%¤
##@¤$%:=^¨ boats. i  wondered, could  they even see ¨^=:%$¤@##
@¤¤¤$%:=^¨ me?  if i shouted,  would  they  turn to ¨^=:%$¤¤¤@
#@$$%=^¨¨¨         stare right through me?          ¨¨¨^=%$$@#
@¤%:::==^¨                                          ¨^==:::%¤@
@¤%:^^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^^:%¤@
##@¤$%:=^¨                                          ¨^=:%$¤@##
##@¤$%:=^¨                                          ¨^=:%$¤@##
###@¤$:=^¨                                          ¨^=:$¤@###