.####..#.. ...#...#..
..##.....# ##...#...#
.....###.. #..#...#..
####..#... .....#...#
###.....## .###...#..
.#..###... 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? #########.
#######... ########..
.#####..## .######...
..###..... ..####..##
...#..#### ...##.....
##.....##. ##....####