,,~/%$§@@# #@@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§@@@ @@@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§@@# #@@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§@@# #@@§$%/~,,
,,,,,~~/$§ §$/~~,,,,,
,,,,,,//$§ winds esker §$//,,,,,,
,,,,,~/$§§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §§$/~,,,,,
,,,~//%§§@ @§§%//~,,,
,,,,,~/%$§ there was this place that for two years §$%/~,,,,,
,,~/%$@@## i couldn't go to. regardless how much ##@@$%/~,,
,,,,,~/$§§ discussed with others, or pointed out §§$/~,,,,,
,,~/%$§@@@ on maps, i could not think of it when @@@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$@@## alone. i would often travel past the ##@@$%/~,,
,,,,,/$§@@ fork, where a right turn would surely @@§$/,,,,,
,,,,,/$§§@ take me there, but even then, something @§§$/,,,,,
,,~/%$$$@@ kept me away. @@$$$%/~,,
,,,,/%%§§§ §§§%%/,,,,
,,~/%$§@@@ when i finally got there, after some @@@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§@## heavy subconscious battle i must ##@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§@## assume, the place was surreal. an ##@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§@@@ esker, like a needle-thin rift out in @@@§$%/~,,
,,,,,,,/%§ 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? @@§%%~,,,,
,,~/%$§@@# #@@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§@@@ @@@§$%/~,,
,,~/%$§§§@ @§§§$%/~,,
,,,,,,/$§§ §§$/,,,,,,
,,~/%$§@@# #@@§$%/~,,