,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@#                                          #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£                                          £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@                                          @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£               winds esker                £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@#                                          #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ there was  this place that for two years @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ i  couldn't go  to. regardless  how much £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ discussed  with  others, or pointed  out @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ on maps,  i could  not think of  it when £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ alone.  i  would  often  travel past the @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# fork,  where  a right turn would  surely #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ take me  there, but even then, something @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£              kept me away.               £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@                                          @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ when  i  finally got  there,  after some £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@     heavy subconscious battle i must     @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# assume,  the   place  was   surreal.  an #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ esker,  like a needle-thin  rift out  in @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ the  lake,  but  ten  meters   high  and £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ adorned in  birch, willow, bracken,  and @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£               blueberries.               £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# walking  atop  that  spine,  i  came  to #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ notice  the  view to either side.  there @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ should  be  shores,  of  course,  but  i £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ didn't  recognize them.  first off, they @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ were much too close,  as the lake should £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ stretch for  a  hundred  meters  more on @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# both  sides. but  now  i  felt  i  could #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ almost  reach  out  and touch  them. and @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ then, when i realized which  shores they £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@           were, i had to stop.           @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£                                          £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ they  were of  the right lake. but  this @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@#      lake is large, fractured, and       #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ bipartite. like  a  pair of lungs carved @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ into the granite, and  with no less than £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@   five communities anchored at various   @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£      points. and so, studying these      £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@    impossibly close shores, i slowly     @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# understood them as  belonging many miles #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@                   away.                  @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£                                          £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ i  examined  the  ridge,  the   treeline @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ above. was this  what  you saw opposite, £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ from  those  other  shores?  i  couldn't @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@#                remember.                 #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ carrying  forward,  on  the very tip  of £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ the  esker,  i found  the ruins of  some @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£    old building. there were overgrown    £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@  marble staircases, stone floors beneath @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# the  moss,  and  strange slabs  inserted #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ into  the  slope like  dams against  the @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£              ground itself.              £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@                                          @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ sitting  there, i  could see  across the £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ narrowed lake my entire path  to where i @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# sat:  from  the stairwell  of  my house, #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ through the old  woods  behind  the tile @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£      factory, the bridge over route      £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ twenty three  and  then  back  under it, @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ through  the   fancy  villas,  over  the £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ fields, and then that  right turn at the @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@#                  fork.                   #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ and then  the stairs up  on  the  ridge. £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ thinking back,  this  was  probably  it. @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ hidden  in a grove,  there  were  stairs £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@ much like the  ones i  currently sat on, @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# old and  worn  down,  that  lead  you up #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@ onto the  esker. the point of entry. had @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ i  insted opted  to walk the path at its £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ foot, i'm sure  my  experience  would've @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£          been different indeed.          £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@# »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£ on  the  lake,  there  were   people  in £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@ boats.  i wondered, could they even  see @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£ me? if i shouted,  would  they  turn  to £@$§\».,,,
,,.»\§$@£@          stare right through me?         @£@$§\».,,
,.»\§$@£@#                                          #@£@$§\».,
,,.»\§$@£@                                          @£@$§\».,,
,,,.»\§$@£                                          £@$§\».,,,
,,,,.»\§$@                                          @$§\».,,,,
,,,.»\§$@£                                          £@$§\».,,,