¨¨¨.«^^@@#                                          #@@^^«.¨¨¨
¨.«††^$$@@                                          @@$$^††«.¨
¨.«†^$@###                                          ###@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@@##                                          ##@@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@###                                          ###@$^†«.¨
¨¨¨.«†$@@@                winds esker               @@@$†«.¨¨¨
¨¨....†$$@ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« @$$†....¨¨
¨.†^$@@###                                          ###@@$^†.¨
¨.«†^$@### there was  this place that for two years ###@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$$$@@ i couldn't go  to. regardless  how  much @@$$$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@### discussed with others,  or  pointed  out ###@$^†«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.†^@ 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.          @$$$†.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.«†$@                                          @$†«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.««†††^^@ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« @^^†††««.¨
¨.«†^$@@##                                          ##@@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@@## on  the  lake,  there  were  people   in ##@@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@@## boats.  i wondered,  could they even see ##@@$^†«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.†$@ me?  if i  shouted,  would they turn  to @$†.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«†^$@@##         stare right through me?          ##@@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@###                                          ###@$^†«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.†^@                                          @^†.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«†^$@@@@                                          @@@@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@@##                                          ##@@$^†«.¨
¨.«†^$@@##                                          ##@@$^†«.¨