,,,,,,-~/*                                          */~-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-~/                                          /~-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-~/*                                          */~-,,,,,,
,,,,,-~/*%                                          %*/~-,,,,,
,,,,-~/*%@                                          @%*/~-,,,,
,,,-~/*%@#                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?          */~-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-~/                                          /~-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-~/*                                          */~-,,,,,,
,,,,,-~/*%                                          %*/~-,,,,,
,,,,-~/*%@                                          @%*/~-,,,,
,,,-~/*%@#                                          #@%*/~-,,,