¨-«\†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†\«-¨
¨¨-«\†$&¶#                                          #¶&$†\«-¨¨
¨¨¨-«\†$&¶                                          ¶&$†\«-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-«\†$&                                          &$†\«-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-«\†$                                          $†\«-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-«\†               winds esker                †\«-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«\ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« \«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-«\†                                          †\«-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-«\†$ 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?         ##¶&$†\«-¨
¨¨-«\†$&¶#                                          #¶&$†\«-¨¨
¨¨¨-«\†$&¶                                          ¶&$†\«-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-«\†$&                                          &$†\«-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-«\†$                                          $†\«-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-«\†                                          †\«-¨¨¨¨¨¨