##@@§%†»~. .~»†%§@@##
#@@§%†»~.. ..~»†%§@@#
@@§%†»~... ...~»†%§@@
@§%†»~.... ....~»†%§@
§%†»~..... .....~»†%§
%†»~...... 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? ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
~......... .........~
»~........ ........~»