¨.«\^^^^^£                                          £^^^^^\«.¨
¨.«\^§£###                                          ###£§^\«.¨
¨¨¨..«\§£#                                          #£§\«..¨¨¨
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¨.«\^^§££#                                          #££§^^\«.¨
¨.«\^§£###               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?          #§^^\«.¨¨¨
¨.«\^§£###                                          ###£§^\«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨«\§##                                          ##§\«¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«\^§£###                                          ###£§^\«.¨
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