###@§†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†§@###
§§§§%†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†%§§§§
###@§%\~:¨                                          ¨:~\%§@###
###§%†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†%§###
###@%†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†%@###
§%%%%†\~:¨               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?          ¨:~\†%§@##
##@§%†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†%§@##
§%%\:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:\%%§
@%\::¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨::\%@
##@§%†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†%§@##
@@%†\~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~\†%@@