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