¨¨¨¨,†*££#                                          #££*†,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~*%#                                          #%*~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~†*%%%%£                                          £%%%%*†~,¨
¨,~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~†%£                                          £%†~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~**%£               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?          ###£%*†~,¨
¨,~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*£#                                          #£*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~,¨
¨,~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~,¨
¨,~†*%£###                                          ###£%*†~,¨