,^~*=*&£##                                          ##£&*=*~^,
,,^~*=*&£#                                          #£&*=*~^,,
,,,^~*=*&£                                          £&*=*~^,,,
,,^~*=*&£#                                          #£&*=*~^,,
,^~*=*&£##                                          ##£&*=*~^,
,,^~*=*&£#               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?         ##£&*=*~^,
,,^~*=*&£#                                          #£&*=*~^,,
,,,^~*=*&£                                          £&*=*~^,,,
,,^~*=*&£#                                          #£&*=*~^,,
,^~*=*&£##                                          ##£&*=*~^,
,,^~*=*&£#                                          #£&*=*~^,,