,^~;^&§£##                                          ##£§&^;~^,
,,,^~;;;^§                                          §^;;;~^,,,
,^~;^&§£##                                          ##£§&^;~^,
,^~;^&§£##                                          ##£§&^;~^,
,^~;^&§£##                                          ##£§&^;~^,
,^~;^&§£##                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?         ##£§&^;~^,
,^~;^&&&§£                                          £§&&&^;~^,
,,,^^~~^§§                                          §§^~~^^,,,
,^~;^&§£##                                          ##£§&^;~^,
,,,^^;^^&§                                          §&^^;^^,,,
,^~;^&§£##                                          ##£§&^;~^,