¨---*$$&&¶                                          ¶&&$$*---¨
¨--*$§&###                                          ###&§$*--¨
¨--*$$$$&&                                          &&$$$$*--¨
¨¨¨---$&¶#                                          #¶&$---¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-*§&                                          &§*-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--*$$§&&#                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 #¶§*-¨¨¨¨¨
¨--*$§&### me? if  i shouted,  would  they turn  to ###&§$*--¨
¨¨¨¨¨---$&          stare right through me?         &$---¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-$&                                          &$-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--*$§&¶##                                          ##¶&§$*--¨
¨--*$§&¶##                                          ##¶&§$*--¨
¨--*$§&¶##                                          ##¶&§$*--¨
¨--*$§&¶##                                          ##¶&§$*--¨