,#,###,#,, ,#,,#,##,,
,###,,###, ,##,###,#,
,#,,#,#,,# ,#,##,,###
###,####,# ,###,#,#,,
#,,##,,,## ,#,,#####,
##,#,#,,#, 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? ,,,#,,,#,#
,#,,,,,,## ,,,##,,###
###,,,,,#, #,,#,#,#,,
#,,#,,,,## ##,######,
##,##,,,#, #,##,,,,,#
,,##,#,,## ,##,#,,,,#