###&§*†~^,                                          ,^~†*§&###
&§*~~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~~*§&
##&&§*†~^,                                          ,^~†*§&&##
#§**~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~**§#
#&§§§*†~^,                                          ,^~†*§§§&#
#&§*~~~^,,                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?          ,^~†*§####
#&§**~~~^,                                          ,^~~~**§&#
&&§*†~~^,,                                          ,,^~~†*§&&
###&§*†~^,                                          ,^~†*§&###
###&§*†~^,                                          ,^~†*§&###
###&§*†~^,                                          ,^~†*§&###