£££$$~~...                                          ...~~$$£££
##££§$;~^.                                          .^~;$§££##
##££§$;~^.                                          .^~;$§££##
£££$$~~^..                                          ..^~~$$£££
££$~~.....                                          .....~~$££
##££§$;~^.                winds esker               .^~;$§££##
£§$~^..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .....^~$§£
£§$;~.....                                          .....~;$§£
#£££§$;~^. there was this place that  for two years .^~;$§£££#
#£££§$;~^. i  couldn't  go  to. regardless how much .^~;$§£££#
##££§$;~^. discussed  with others,  or  pointed out .^~;$§££##
##££§$;~^. on  maps,  i could not think of  it when .^~;$§££##
##££§$;~^. alone. i  would  often travel  past  the .^~;$§££##
##££§$;~^. fork,  where a  right  turn would surely .^~;$§££##
###£§$;~^. take me there,  but even then, something .^~;$§£###
##££§$;~^.               kept me away.              .^~;$§££##
#£££§$;~^.                                          .^~;$§£££#
££$;;~~^.. when i  finally got  there,  after  some ..^~~;;$££
###£§$;~^.     heavy subconscious battle i must     .^~;$§£###
##££§$;~^. assume,  the   place   was  surreal.  an .^~;$§££##
£§§§;;~~^. 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 .....^;§££
#£££§$;~^.          been different indeed.          .^~;$§£££#
###£§$;~^.                                          .^~;$§£###
##££§$;~^. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .^~;$§££##
£§$;~^....                                          ....^~;$§£
££$~~..... on  the   lake,  there  were  people  in .....~~$££
£§$~^..... boats. i wondered,  could they  even see .....^~$§£
£$$$~^.... me? if i shouted,  would  they  turn  to ....^~$$$£
##££§$;~^.         stare right through me?          .^~;$§££##
##££§$;~^.                                          .^~;$§££##
###££§;~^.                                          .^~;§££###
##££§$;~^.                                          .^~;$§££##
##££§$;~^.                                          .^~;$§££##
###££§;~^.                                          .^~;§££###