#¤@**//=,. .,=//**@¤#
###¤@*/=,. .,=/*@¤###
#¤@*//==,. .,==//*@¤#
####¤@*/=. .=/*@¤####
###¤@*/=,. .,=/*@¤###
###¤@*/=,. 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? .,=/*@¤###
###¤@*/=,. .,=/*@¤###
##¤*=,.... ....,=*¤##
####¤@*/=. .=/*@¤####
###¤@*/=,. .,=/*@¤###
¤¤¤*=,.... ....,=*¤¤¤