##@£§$/~.¨                                          ¨.~/$§£@##
##@£§$/~.¨                                          ¨.~/$§£@##
@@@£§$/~.¨                                          ¨.~/$§£@@@
##@£§$/~.¨                                          ¨.~/$§£@##
££§$$/.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨./$$§££
££§$~.¨¨¨¨                winds esker               ¨¨¨¨.~$§££
##@£§$/~.¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨.~/$§£@##
#££$$~.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.~$$££#
#£$$~.¨¨¨¨ there was this  place that for two years ¨¨¨¨.~$$£#
@£§/~.¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨..~/§§@#
@§$/~..¨¨¨         stare right through me?          ¨¨¨..~/$§@
###@£§/~.¨                                          ¨.~/§£@###
##@£§$/~.¨                                          ¨.~/$§£@##
£§§$/.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨./$§§£
###@£§/~.¨                                          ¨.~/§£@###
@@@£§$/~.¨                                          ¨.~/$§£@@@