¨^/%*&£###                                          ###£&*%/^¨
¨¨¨¨^/%*££                                          ££*%/^¨¨¨¨
¨^~/%*&£##                                          ##£&*%/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~%&&                                          &&%~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/%%%*££                                          ££*%%%/~^¨
¨^~/%*&£##                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?         &&*%//~~^¨
¨^~/%*&£##                                          ##£&*%/~^¨
¨^~/%*&£##                                          ##£&*%/~^¨
¨^~/%*&£##                                          ##£&*%/~^¨
¨^~/%*&&&&                                          &&&&*%/~^¨
¨^~/%*£###                                          ###£*%/~^¨