.&..&.&&.. &..&.&&...
..&...&&&. &&...&&&..
...&..&.&& .&&..&.&&.
....&...&& .&&&...&&&
&....&..&. .&.&&..&.&
&&....&... 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? &......&..
...&...... .&......&.
....&..... ..&......&
&....&.... &..&......
.&....&... &&..&.....
..&....&.. &&&..&....