,^~=*§@£##                                          ##£@§*=~^,
,,^~=*§@£#                                          #£@§*=~^,,
,,,^~=*§@£                                          £@§*=~^,,,
,,,,^~=*§@                                          @§*=~^,,,,
,,,,,^~=*§                                          §*=~^,,,,,
,,,,,,^~=*                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?         §*=~^,,,,,
,,,,,,^~=*                                          *=~^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^~=                                          =~^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^~                                          ~^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^                                          ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,