###@§$*\~,                                          ,~\*$§@###
##@§$*\~,¨                                          ¨,~\*$§@##
##@§$*\~,¨                                          ¨,~\*$§@##
@@§$\\~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~\\$§@@
@$$*\,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,\*$$@
@§§$$*\~,¨               winds esker                ¨,~\*$$§§@
##@§$*\~,¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨,~\*$§@##
§$\~~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~~\$§
#@$*~¨¨¨¨¨ 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?         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*§
§$\\,,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,,\\$§
@$$\\~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~\\$$@
#@§*\\,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,\\*§@#
#@§*~~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~~*§@#
§*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*§