¨¨¨¨¨¨«=@#                                          #@=«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«†=£@££#                                          #££@£=†«,¨
¨,«†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†«,¨
¨,«†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†«,¨
¨,«†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†«,¨
¨,«†=£@£##               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?          ###£@£=«,¨
¨,«†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†«,¨
¨,«†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†«,¨
¨,«†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†«,¨
¨¨,,«==£££                                          £££==«,,¨¨
¨,«†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†«,¨