@==«,,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,,«==@
¶££/,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,/££¶
#@==//«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«//==@#
##¶@£=/«,¨                                          ¨,«/=£@¶##
##¶@£=/«,¨                                          ¨,«/=£@¶##
###¶@£=/«,               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?         ¨,«/=£@¶##
@£/,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,/£@
@===//««,¨                                          ¨,««//===@
¶£===/,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,/===£¶
##¶@£=/«,¨                                          ¨,«/=£@¶##
##¶@£=/«,¨                                          ¨,«/=£@¶##