#,,##,,,##                                          #,,,#,##,#
#,#,#,,#,#                                          #,,###,##,
#####,####                                          #,#,,##,##
,,,,##,,,,                                          ###,#,##,,
,,,#,#,,,,                                          ,,####,#,,
,,####,,,#                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?         ###,,##,,#
####,##,,#                                          ,,#,#,#,##
,,,##,#,#,                                          ,#######,,
,,#,#####,                                          #,,,,,,#,,
,###,,,,##                                          #,,,,,##,,
#,,#,,,#,#                                          #,,,,#,#,,