###¤£*^«.,                                          ,.«^*£¤###
##¤£*^«.,,                                          ,,.«^*£¤##
###¤£*^«.,                                          ,.«^*£¤###
##¤£*^«.,,                                          ,,.«^*£¤##
###¤£*^«.,                                          ,.«^*£¤###
##¤£*^«.,,                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?          ,.«^*£¤###
##¤£*^«.,,                                          ,,.«^*£¤##
###¤£*^«.,                                          ,.«^*£¤###
##¤£*^«.,,                                          ,,.«^*£¤##
###¤£*^«.,                                          ,.«^*£¤###
##¤£*^«.,,                                          ,,.«^*£¤##