¨~~;§*@### ###@*§;~~¨
¨¨~~;§*@## ##@*§;~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~;§*@# #@*§;~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;§*@ @*§;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;§* *§;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;§ 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? *§;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;§ §;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;§* *§;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;§*@ @*§;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~;§*@# #@*§;~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~;§*@## ##@*§;~~¨¨