###§*§=~:, ,:~=§*§###
#§***§=~:, ,:~=§***§#
###§*§=~:, ,:~=§*§###
#§§§*§=~:, ,:~=§*§§§#
#§**§§=~:, ,:~=§§**§#
##§§~::,,, 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? ,,,,::~§§#
###§*§=~:, ,:~=§*§###
§§=~~~~~:, ,:~~~~~=§§
###§*§=~:, ,:~=§*§###
###§*§=~:, ,:~=§*§###
###§*§=~:, ,:~=§*§###