###@@$^-^¨                                          ¨^-^$@@###
###@@$^-^¨                                          ¨^-^$@@###
@@@$$-^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^-$$@@@
##@$^^^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^^^$@##
@@$$^-^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^-^$$@@
@@$$^^^¨¨¨                winds esker               ¨¨¨^^^$$@@
###@@$^-^¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨^-^$@@###
###@@$^-^¨                                          ¨^-^$@@###
@@$^^--¨¨¨ there was  this place that for two years ¨¨¨--^^$@@
###@@$^-^¨ i  couldn't go to.  regardless  how much ¨^-^$@@###
#@@@^^^¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨^-^@##
####@@$^-^ boats. i  wondered, could  they even see ^-^$@@####
##@$$^^-^¨ me?  if  i shouted, would  they  turn to ¨^-^^$$@##
@$$-^¨¨¨¨¨         stare right through me?          ¨¨¨¨¨^-$$@
####@$^-^¨                                          ¨^-^$@####
###@@$^-^¨                                          ¨^-^$@@###
####@@$^-^                                          ^-^$@@####
##@@@$^-^¨                                          ¨^-^$@@@##
@$^-^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^-^$@