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