#¤¤*««....                                          ....««*¤¤#
¤¤*****«,.                                          .,«*****¤¤
###¤¤**«,.                                          .,«**¤¤###
###¤¤**«,.                                          .,«**¤¤###
###¤¤**«,.                                          .,«**¤¤###
##¤**«,,,.                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?         .,«**¤¤###
####¤¤*«,.                                          .,«*¤¤####
###¤¤**«,.                                          .,«**¤¤###
¤****,....                                          ....,****¤
####¤**«,.                                          .,«**¤####
#¤¤****«,.                                          .,«****¤¤#