.:«^%¤£###                                          ###£¤%^«:.
.:«^%¤£###                                          ###£¤%^«:.
.:«^%¤£###                                          ###£¤%^«:.
.....:«%¤#                                          #¤%«:.....
.....«^¤¤#                                          #¤¤^«.....
.:«^%¤£###                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?          ###£¤%^«:.
.:«^^^^¤£#                                          #£¤^^^^«:.
...:^^^%%£                                          £%%^^^:...
.:«^%¤£###                                          ###£¤%^«:.
.:«^^%%¤¤#                                          #¤¤%%^^«:.
.:«^%¤£###                                          ###£¤%^«:.