¨,-^^%%%##                                          ##%%%^^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨--%$#                                          #$%--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨--^$###                                          ###$^--¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-%###                                          ###%-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-^$$#                                          #$$^-¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-^%$####                winds esker               ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### ---------------------------------------- ####$%^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-%##                                          ##%-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,--%$## there was this place that for two  years ##$%--,¨¨¨
¨,-^%$#### i couldn't go  to.  regardless how  much ####$%^-,¨
¨¨¨¨,,^^$# discussed with  others, or  pointed  out #$^^,,¨¨¨¨
¨,-^%$#### on maps, i could not  think  of it  when ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### alone. i  would  often  travel past  the ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### fork, where  a right turn  would  surely ####$%^-,¨
¨¨¨,^^$$## take me there, but  even then, something ##$$^^,¨¨¨
¨,-^%$####               kept me away.              ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$####                                          ####$%^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨-%### 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 #####%^-,¨
¨,---^$$##                  fork.                   ##$$^---,¨
¨,-^%#####                                          #####%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### and  then  the stairs up  on  the ridge. ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### thinking  back,  this was  probably  it. ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### hidden  in a  grove,  there  were stairs ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$$$## much like  the ones i currently sat  on, ##$$$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$$$## old  and  worn down,  that  lead you  up ##$$$%^-,¨
¨,,,^%$$## onto the esker.  the point of entry. had ##$$%^,,,¨
¨,-^%$#### i insted opted to walk the path  at  its ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### foot,  i'm  sure  my experience would've ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$####          been different indeed.          ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$####                                          ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$$$$# ---------------------------------------- #$$$$%^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,^%#                                          #%^,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-^%$#### on  the  lake,   there  were  people  in ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### boats. i wondered,  could  they even see ####$%^-,¨
¨,-^%$#### me? if  i  shouted,  would  they turn to ####$%^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^%$#         stare right through me?          #$%^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-^%$####                                          ####$%^-,¨
¨,^%$#####                                          #####$%^,¨
¨¨¨¨¨--%$#                                          #$%--¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-^%$####                                          ####$%^-,¨
¨¨¨¨,-^%%#                                          #%%^-,¨¨¨¨