¨,-\^&&£££                                          £££&&^\-,¨
¨,-\^&££££                                          ££££&^\-,¨
¨,-\^&£###                                          ###£&^\-,¨
¨,-\^&£###                                          ###£&^\-,¨
¨,-\^&£###                                          ###£&^\-,¨
¨,-\^&£###               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?          ###£&^\-,¨
¨,-\^&££##                                          ##££&^\-,¨
¨,-\^&£###                                          ###£&^\-,¨
¨,-\^^^^££                                          ££^^^^\-,¨
¨,-\^&£###                                          ###£&^\-,¨
¨¨¨,-^^&&£                                          £&&^^-,¨¨¨