##@¤%§:»-¨ ¨-»:§%¤@##
@¤¤%§»»»-¨ ¨-»»»§%¤¤@
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##@¤%§:»-¨ ¨-»:§%¤@##
##@¤%§:»-¨ 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? ¨-»:§%%%¤¤
##@¤%§:»-¨ ¨-»:§%¤@##
##@¤%§:»-¨ ¨-»:§%¤@##
#@¤§:»»¨¨¨ ¨¨¨»»:§¤@#
@@%::::»-¨ ¨-»::::%@@
##@¤%§:»-¨ ¨-»:§%¤@##