##¶@%$:«.¨ ¨.«:$%@¶##
@@$$$«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«$$$@@
¶@@@%$:«.¨ ¨.«:$%@@@¶
@$::.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.::$@
###¶@%$:.¨ ¨.:$%@¶###
¶¶¶@%$:«.¨ winds esker ¨.«:$%@¶¶¶
¶%:«««««.¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨.«««««:%¶
¶@$$«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«$$@¶
@%:.¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨.«:$$%%@#
¶¶¶@%$:«.¨ me? if i shouted, would they turn to ¨.«:$%@¶¶¶
¶%$::«.¨¨¨ stare right through me? ¨¨¨.«::$%¶
###@%$:«.¨ ¨.«:$%@###
@$$«..¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨..«$$@
##¶@%$:«.¨ ¨.«:$%@¶##
@$$::««.¨¨ ¨¨.««::$$@
¶¶%::::«.¨ ¨.«::::%¶¶