¨^^~==$**£                                          £**$==~^^¨
¨^~=$*@£##                                          ##£@*$=~^¨
¨^~=$*@£##                                          ##£@*$=~^¨
¨^~=$*@£##                                          ##£@*$=~^¨
¨^~=$*@£##                                          ##£@*$=~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~$@#               winds esker                #@$~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~=*@£### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ###£@*=~^¨
¨¨¨^~=$@£#                                          #£@$=~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~=$$@£# there was  this place that for two years #£@$$=~^¨¨
¨^~=$*@£## i couldn't  go to.  regardless how  much ##£@*$=~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=$$@ discussed  with  others, or pointed  out @$$=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~~$*@ on maps,  i could  not think of  it when @*$~~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~$$$@£ alone. i  would often  travel  past  the £@$$$~¨¨¨¨
¨^~=$*@£## fork, where  a  right  turn would surely ##£@*$=~^¨
¨¨^^^=**££ 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?          #£*$~~~^^¨
¨^~==$**@#                                          #@**$==~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~~$*@                                          @*$~~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^==**@£                                          £@**==^¨¨¨
¨^~=$$$$@#                                          #@$$$$=~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~==$@                                          @$==~¨¨¨¨¨