¨¨¨¨¨¨^«\%                                          %\«^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«\%£                                          £%\«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«\%£#                                          #£%\«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«\%£##                                          ##£%\«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«\%£###                                          ###£%\«^¨¨
¨^«\%£####                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?          %\«^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«\%£                                          £%\«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«\%£#                                          #£%\«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«\%£##                                          ##£%\«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«\%£###                                          ###£%\«^¨¨
¨^«\%£####                                          ####£%\«^¨