.^~/%*£###                                          ###£*%/~^.
..^^~/%%££                                          ££%%/~^^..
.^~/%*£###                                          ###£*%/~^.
.^~/%*£###                                          ###£*%/~^.
.....^/%£#                                          #£%/^.....
.^~/*£####                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?          £****%/~^.
.^~/%*££##                                          ##££*%/~^.
.^~/%*£###                                          ###£*%/~^.
.....^/%£#                                          #£%/^.....
..^^/%*££#                                          #££*%/^^..
.^~/%*£###                                          ###£*%/~^.