###@#$=*«, ,«*=$#@###
##@#$=*«,, ,,«*=$#@##
#@#$=*«,,, ,,,«*=$#@#
@#$=*«,,,, ,,,,«*=$#@
#$=*«,,,,, ,,,,,«*=$#
$=*«,,,,,, winds esker ,,,,,,«*=$
=*«,,,,,,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,,,,,,«*=
*«,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,«*
«,,,,,,,,, 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 ,,,,,,,«*=
$=*«,,,,,, i insted opted to walk the path at its ,,,,,,«*=$
#$=*«,,,,, foot, i'm sure my experience would've ,,,,,«*=$#
@#$=*«,,,, been different indeed. ,,,,«*=$#@
#@#$=*«,,, ,,,«*=$#@#
##@#$=*«,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,«*=$#@##
###@#$=*«, ,«*=$#@###
##@#$=*«,, on the lake, there were people in ,,«*=$#@##
#@#$=*«,,, boats. i wondered, could they even see ,,,«*=$#@#
@#$=*«,,,, me? if i shouted, would they turn to ,,,,«*=$#@
#$=*«,,,,, stare right through me? ,,,,,«*=$#
$=*«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«*=$
=*«,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,«*=
*«,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,«*
«,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,«
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,