£$$†--,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,--†$$£
##£#$$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$$#£##
£££#$$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$$#£££
@#$-,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,-$#@
@##$$$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$$$##@
£#$$†-,¨¨¨               winds esker                ¨¨¨,-†$$#£
#@£#$$†-,¨ ---------------------------------------- ¨,-†$$#£@#
£#$$$$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$$$$#£
£££#$$†-,¨ 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?          ¨,-†$$#£@#
#@£#$$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$$#£@#
@#$$$$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$$$$#@
@@£#$$†-,¨                                          ¨,-†$$#£@@
££#$†--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--†$#££
##@£#$$†-,                                          ,-†$$#£@##