.^-\†§££##                                          ##££§†\-^.
....^^^\§£                                          £§\^^^....
.....-\††£                                          £††\-.....
......^\§£                                          £§\^......
.^-\†§££@#                                          #@££§†\-^.
.^-\§££@##               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?         #@££§†\-^.
....--†††£                                          £†††--....
.^-\†§££££                                          ££££§†\-^.
.^-\†§££@#                                          #@££§†\-^.
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