##@&@§^~.¨ ¨.~^§@&@##
##@&@§^~.¨ ¨.~^§@&@##
##@&@§^~.¨ ¨.~^§@&@##
##@&@§^~.¨ ¨.~^§@&@##
###@&@^~.¨ ¨.~^@&@###
##@&@§^~.¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨.~~§&&
##@&@§^~.¨ ¨.~^§@&@##
@@§§^~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~^§§@@
##@&@§^~.¨ ¨.~^§@&@##
##@&@§^~.¨ ¨.~^§@&@##
&&§§§§^~.¨ ¨.~^§§§§&&