##£§&%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%&§£##
###£§%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%§£###
##£§&%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%&§£##
###£§&:~^¨                                          ¨^~:&§£###
##£§&%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%&§£##
§%:^^¨¨¨¨¨               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?         ¨^~:%&§£##
£§&:~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~:&§£
#§§%:~^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^~:%§§#
##£§&%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%&§£##
#£&:^^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^^:&£#
§§%:~^^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^^~:%§§