,-«**$£###                                          ###£$**«-,
,-«*****$£                                          £$*****«-,
,-«****£££                                          £££****«-,
,-«**$£###                                          ###£$**«-,
,,,,,,«**£                                          £**«,,,,,,
,,-««««**£               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 #£$$**««-,
,-«***$£##          been different indeed.          ##£$***«-,
,-««****££                                          ££****««-,
,-«*$£#### «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ####£$*«-,
,,,-«««*$£                                          £$*«««-,,,
,-«**$£### on   the  lake,  there  were  people  in ###£$**«-,
,-«**$£### boats. i  wondered, could they  even see ###£$**«-,
,,,,,-**£# me? if  i  shouted, would  they turn  to #£**-,,,,,
,-«*$£####          stare right through me?         ####£$*«-,
,,,,,«**$£                                          £$**«,,,,,
,--««**££#                                          #££**««--,
,-«**$$$##                                          ##$$$**«-,
,-«**$£###                                          ###£$**«-,
,,,,-**$£#                                          #£$**-,,,,