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