§,,§§,,,,,                                          §,,,§§§,,,
,§,§§§,,,,                                          ,§,,§,§§,,
,,,§,§§,,,                                          ,,§,,,§§§,
,,,,,§§§,,                                          §,,§,,§,§§
§,,,,§,§§,                                          ,§,,§,,,§§
§§,,,,,§§§               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?         ,,,,,,§§§,
,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,§,§§
§,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,§§
§§,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,§,
§§§,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
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