@@@£%=/»-¨ ¨-»/=%£@@@
@%/-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-/%@
@£%=/-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-/=%£@
#@@£%=/»-¨ ¨-»/=%£@@#
@%=/»»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»»/=%@
@@@£%=/»-¨ 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? ¨-»///=££@
##@£%=/»-¨ ¨-»/=%£@##
@%//»-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-»//%@
@@£%/»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»/%£@@
##@@£%=/»- -»/=%£@@##
#@@£%=/»-¨ ¨-»/=%£@@#