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