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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.          ¨¨¨--††££¶
¶¶£$«-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-«$£¶¶
@¶£$«--¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨--«$£¶@
#@¶££$†«-¨                                          ¨-«†$££¶@#
#@¶££$†«-¨ on  the  lake,   there  were  people  in ¨-«†$££¶@#
##@££$†«-¨ boats. i  wondered,  could they even see ¨-«†$££@##
¶¶££$«¨¨¨¨ me?  if i  shouted,  would  they turn to ¨¨¨¨«$££¶¶
#@¶££$†«-¨          stare right through me?         ¨-«†$££¶@#
£$†««¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨««†$£
£££$««--¨¨                                          ¨¨--««$£££
@¶¶££$†«-¨                                          ¨-«†$££¶¶@
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