,,,:^%%%%¤ ¤%%%%^:,,,
,:~^^%%%¤@ @¤%%%^^~:,
,:~^%%¤¶@# #@¶¤%%^~:,
,,,:~%%¤¶@ @¶¤%%~:,,,
,:~^%%¤¶@# #@¶¤%%^~:,
,:~^%%%%%¤ 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? @¶¶¤%%^~:,
,,,,:^^^%¤ ¤%^^^:,,,,
,:~^%%¤¶@# #@¶¤%%^~:,
,,,,:~%¤¤@ @¤¤%~:,,,,
,:~^%%¤¤¶¶ ¶¶¤¤%%^~:,
,:~^%%¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤%%^~:,