££¤†††*=,, ,,=*†††¤££
§†††=,,,,, ,,,,,=†††§
§†****,,,, ,,,,****†§
##£§¤†*=,, ,,=*†¤§£##
§¤*,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,*¤§
##£§¤†*=,, 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? ,,,,,,*¤§§
#£¤¤¤†*=,, ,,=*†¤¤¤£#
###£§†*=,, ,,=*†§£###
§¤†***,,,, ,,,,***†¤§
§¤*===,,,, ,,,,===*¤§
##£§¤†*=,, ,,=*†¤§£##