##¶@*=/~-¨ ¨-~/=*@¶##
@@*//-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-//*@@
#@@*=/~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~/=*@@#
##¶@*=/~-¨ ¨-~/=*@¶##
¶¶¶@*=/~-¨ ¨-~/=*@¶¶¶
¶**==/-¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨-~=@@#
#@=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=@#
¶¶¶@*=/~-¨ ¨-~/=*@¶¶¶
###@*=/~-¨ ¨-~/=*@###
¶@=/~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~/=@¶
¶@@@*=/~-¨ ¨-~/=*@@@¶