,:«:†$@###                                          ###@$†:«:,
,,:«:†$@##                                          ##@$†:«:,,
,,,:«:†$@#                                          #@$†:«:,,,
,,,,:«:†$@                                          @$†:«:,,,,
,,,,,:«:†$                                          $†:«:,,,,,
,,,,:«:†$@                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?         $†:«:,,,,,
,,,,:«:†$@                                          @$†:«:,,,,
,,,:«:†$@#                                          #@$†:«:,,,
,,:«:†$@##                                          ##@$†:«:,,
,:«:†$@###                                          ###@$†:«:,
,,:«:†$@##                                          ##@$†:«:,,