,,====^^§#                                          #§^^====,,
,,,,=^^^%#                                          #%^^^=,,,,
,,,,=^^%§#                                          #§%^^=,,,,
,,,,,,,=%#                                          #%=,,,,,,,
,,==^%§###                                          ###§%^==,,
,,==^%§###                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?         ####§%^==,
,,,,===%##                                          ##%===,,,,
,,==^%§###                                          ###§%^==,,
,,,,,,==%§                                          §%==,,,,,,
,,==^%§###                                          ###§%^==,,
,,,,,,,=%#                                          #%=,,,,,,,