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