¨¨¨¨,-**££ ££**-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,**£ £**,,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-****££# #££****-,¨
¨,-**$$$## ##$$$**-,¨
¨¨¨,***$$£ £$$***,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,***££ 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 #££****-,¨
¨¨¨¨,*$£## foot, i'm sure my experience would've ##£$*,¨¨¨¨
¨,-**$£### been different indeed. ###£$**-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,**£# #£**,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-**$£### ---------------------------------------- ###£$**-,¨
¨¨,--**££# #££**--,¨¨
¨,-**$£### on the lake, there were people in ###£$**-,¨
,-**$£#### boats. i wondered, could they even see ####£$**-,
¨,-**$£### me? if i shouted, would they turn to ###£$**-,¨
¨,-**$£### stare right through me? ###£$**-,¨
¨,-******£ £******-,¨
¨,-***$$$# #$$$***-,¨
¨,-**$£### ###£$**-,¨
¨,-*$£#### ####£$*-,¨
¨,-**$£### ###£$**-,¨