¨¨¨.«:^@@¶                                          ¶@@^:«.¨¨¨
¨¨.«:^@@¶#                                          #¶@@^:«.¨¨
¨.«:^@@¶##                                          ##¶@@^:«.¨
¨¨.«:^@@¶#                                          #¶@@^:«.¨¨
¨¨¨.«:^@@¶                                          ¶@@^:«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«:^@@               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?          ¶@@^:«.¨¨¨
¨¨.«:^@@¶#                                          #¶@@^:«.¨¨
¨.«:^@@¶##                                          ##¶@@^:«.¨
¨¨.«:^@@¶#                                          #¶@@^:«.¨¨
¨¨¨.«:^@@¶                                          ¶@@^:«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«:^@@                                          @@^:«.¨¨¨¨