####@†:«:¨                                          ¨:«:†@####
###@†:«:¨¨                                          ¨¨:«:†@###
##@†:«:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:«:†@##
#@†:«:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:«:†@#
##@†:«:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:«:†@##
###@†:«:¨¨               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?         ¨:«:†@####
###@†:«:¨¨                                          ¨¨:«:†@###
##@†:«:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:«:†@##
#@†:«:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:«:†@#
##@†:«:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:«:†@##
###@†:«:¨¨                                          ¨¨:«:†@###