#@§=»,,,,,                                          ,,,,,»=§@#
§=\»,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,»\=§
#@§=»»,,,,                                          ,,,,»»=§@#
§§**\»,,,,                                          ,,,,»\**§§
@@**=»»,,,                                          ,,,»»=**@@
###@§*=»,,                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?         ,,,,,,\=*@
###§*=\»,,                                          ,,»\=*§###
§==»,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,»==§
§=»»,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,»»=§
###@*=\»,,                                          ,,»\=*@###
§=\\,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,\\=§