####*%/~,, ,,~/%*####
####*%/~,, ,,~/%*####
##*%~,,,,, ,,,,,~%*##
##%%~~,,,, ,,,,~~%%##
#*%~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~%*#
##*/~,,,,, 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? ,,~/%*####
#%%~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~%%#
####*%/~,, ,,~/%*####
####*%/~,, ,,~/%*####
####*%/~,, ,,~/%*####
#*%////~,, ,,~////%*#