%%:«~..... .....~«:%%
%:«~...... ......~«:%
:«~....... .......~«:
%:«~...... ......~«:%
%%:«~..... .....~«:%%
¤%%:«~.... 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? .....~«:%%
%:«~...... ......~«:%
:«~....... .......~«:
%:«~...... ......~«:%
%%:«~..... .....~«:%%
¤%%:«~.... ....~«:%%¤