¤%»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»%¤
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###
###¤$%/»,¨ winds esker ¨,»/%$¤###
#$%»,¨¨¨¨¨ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ¨¨¨¨¨,»%$#
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###
###¤$%/»,¨ there was this place that for two years ¨,»/%$¤###
#¤%%%»»¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»%¤
#$%/,¨¨¨¨¨ stare right through me? ¨¨¨¨¨,/%$#
¤%»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»%¤
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###
##¤%/»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»/%¤##
###¤$%/»,¨ ¨,»/%$¤###