¶&%†\~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~\†%&¶
@¶&%†\~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~\†%&¶@
#@¶&%†\~^¨                                          ¨^~\†%&¶@#
@¶&%†\~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~\†%&¶@
¶&%†\~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~\†%&¶
&%†\~^¨¨¨¨                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?          ¨¨¨^~\†%&¶
&%†\~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~\†%&
%†\~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~\†%
&%†\~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~\†%&
¶&%†\~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~\†%&¶
@¶&%†\~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~\†%&¶@