¨.«\*£#@##                                          ##@#£*\«.¨
¨¨.«\*£#@#                                          #@#£*\«.¨¨
¨¨¨.«\*£#@                                          @#£*\«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«\*£#                                          #£*\«.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.«\*£                                          £*\«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«\*£#               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?          £*\«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«\*£#                                          #£*\«.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.«\*£#@                                          @#£*\«.¨¨¨
¨¨.«\*£#@#                                          #@#£*\«.¨¨
¨.«\*£#@##                                          ##@#£*\«.¨
¨¨.«\*£#@#                                          #@#£*\«.¨¨