@¶%††~..,, ,,..~††%¶@
#@¶@%%†~., ,.~†%%@¶@#
¶@@@%%†~., ,.~†%%@@@¶
#@¶@%%†~., ,.~†%%@¶@#
¶¶%†~...,, ,,...~†%¶¶
#@¶@%%†~., 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? ,.~†%%¶@##
##@¶@%†~., ,.~†%@¶@##
@%~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~%@
@@@%†~,,,, ,,,,~†%@@@
¶@%~~.,,,, ,,,,.~~%@¶
@@@%†~,,,, ,,,,~†%@@@