@#£†==¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨==†£#@
#£$$†=^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^=†$$£#
#$=^^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^^=$#
@@#£$†==^¨                                          ¨^==†$£#@@
###£$†==^¨                                          ¨^==†$£###
#@#£$†==^¨               winds esker                ¨^==†$£#@#
@££†====^¨ ======================================== ¨^====†££@
£†===^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^===†£
##@£$†==^¨ there was this place  that for two years ¨^==†$£@##
#@#£$†==^¨ i couldn't go  to.  regardless  how much ¨^==†$£#@#
@£†=¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨^===†£@
@£££$†==^¨ me? if i  shouted,  would  they turn  to ¨^==†$£££@
##££$†==^¨         stare right through me?          ¨^==†$££##
@#$††=^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^=††$#@
£†==¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨==†£
£††=^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^=††£
###£$†==^¨                                          ¨^==†$£###
@@#£$†==^¨                                          ¨^==†$£#@@