.^«^^%#@##                                          ##@#%^^«^.
.^«^^%#@##                                          ##@#%^^«^.
......^^%@                                          @%^^......
......«^#@                                          @#^«......
...^^^%###                                          ###%^^^...
.^«^^%#@##                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?         @%%^^^....
.^«^^%#@##                                          ##@#%^^«^.
.^«^^%#@##                                          ##@#%^^«^.
....«^^##@                                          @##^^«....
.^«^^%%#@#                                          #@#%%^^«^.
.^«^^%####                                          ####%^^«^.