@#*†^~.... ....~^†*#@
#¤*†^^~~~. .~~~^^†*¤#
¤*^^~~.... ....~~^^*¤
¤¤¤†^~~... ...~~^†¤¤¤
#***†~~... ...~~†***#
@¤*^~~.... 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? .~~^†*¤#@#
¤**†††^~~. .~~^†††**¤
@#*^^~.... ....~^^*#@
@@#¤*†^~~. .~~^†*¤#@@
#@#¤*†^~~. .~~^†*¤#@#
¤*^^^~~... ...~~^^^*¤