.,«†%§§###                                          ###§§%†«,.
......,«%§                                          §%«,......
.,«†%§§###                                          ###§§%†«,.
.....,†%§#                                          #§%†,.....
.,«†%§§###                                          ###§§%†«,.
....««%§§#                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?          #§%««.....
.,«†%§§###                                          ###§§%†«,.
.....««%§#                                          #§%««.....
...,,,«†§§                                          §§†«,,,...
.....«%%§#                                          #§%%«.....
.,«†%§§§§§                                          §§§§§%†«,.