&&%^^^=¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨=^^^%&&
&%†=¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨=†%&
##£&%†^=,¨                                          ¨,=^†%&£##
###£%†^=,¨                                          ¨,=^†%£###
&&††===¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨===††&&
###£&†^=,¨               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?         ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†&
#£&&%†^=,¨                                          ¨,=^†%&&£#
##£&%†^=,¨                                          ¨,=^†%&£##
##£&%†^=,¨                                          ¨,=^†%&£##
##£&%†^=,¨                                          ¨,=^†%&£##
##£&%†^=,¨                                          ¨,=^†%&£##