¨:~:=$##£# #£##$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#### winds esker ####$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ####$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$##£# there was this place that for two years #£##$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## i couldn't go to. regardless how much ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$$### discussed with others, or pointed out ###$$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$$### on maps, i could not think of it when ###$$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$$#£# alone. i would often travel past the #£#$$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## fork, where a right turn would surely ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#### take me there, but even then, something ####$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#### kept me away. ####$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨::$## when i finally got there, after some ##$::¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#£## heavy subconscious battle i must ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## assume, the place was surreal. an ##£#$=:~:¨
¨¨¨¨::::$# esker, like a needle-thin rift out in #$::::¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨::$££ the lake, but ten meters high and ££$::¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#£## adorned in birch, willow, bracken, and ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#££# blueberries. #££#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$$$££ ££$$$=:~:¨
¨¨::~::$#£ walking atop that spine, i came to £#$::~::¨¨
¨:~:=#£### 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. #=~::¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$£### ###£$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## carrying forward, on the very tip of ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## the esker, i found the ruins of some ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## old building. there were overgrown ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## marble staircases, stone floors beneath ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#### the moss, and strange slabs inserted ####$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## into the slope like dams against the ##£#$=:~:¨
¨¨¨¨~::=$# ground itself. #$=::~¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#££# #££#$=:~:¨
¨:~:==$##£ sitting there, i could see across the £##$==:~:¨
¨:~~:=$$££ narrowed lake my entire path to where i ££$$=:~~:¨
¨¨¨¨:~:=$£ sat: from the stairwell of my house, £$=:~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~:$# through the old woods behind the tile #$:~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#£## factory, the bridge over route ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## twenty three and then back under it, ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$$$$£ through the fancy villas, over the £$$$$=:~:¨
¨:~:===$#£ fields, and then that right turn at the £#$===:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## fork. ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨¨¨¨~~:$££ and then the stairs up on the ridge. ££$:~~¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#£## thinking back, this was probably it. ##£#$=:~:¨
¨¨¨¨::~~=# hidden in a grove, there were stairs #=~~::¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#£## much like the ones i currently sat on, ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## old and worn down, that lead you up ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## onto the esker. the point of entry. had ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## i insted opted to walk the path at its ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:===#£# foot, i'm sure my experience would've #£#===:~:¨
¨¨¨¨:~~==# been different indeed. #==~~:¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~:$£ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ £$:~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$#£## ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## on the lake, there were people in ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## boats. i wondered, could they even see ##£#$=:~:¨
¨:~~:==### me? if i shouted, would they turn to ###==:~~:¨
¨:~:=$#£## stare right through me? ##£#$=:~:¨
¨¨:~~~~:$# #$:~~~~:¨¨
¨¨¨¨~:$#££ ££#$:~¨¨¨¨
¨:~:=$$##£ £##$$=:~:¨
¨:~:=$$$#£ £#$$$=:~:¨
¨¨¨:::==#£ £#==:::¨¨¨