###&£==--¨                                          ¨--==£&###
&££=---¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨---=££&
###&£==--¨                                          ¨--==£&###
####&==--¨                                          ¨--==&####
&&&&£==--¨                                          ¨--==£&&&&
#&£==---¨¨               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?          ¨--==£&###
&&&££==--¨                                          ¨--==££&&&
###&£==--¨                                          ¨--==£&###
&=--¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨--=&
###&£==--¨                                          ¨--==£&###
#£==--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--==£#