§§,,,,,§,,                                          §,§§,,,,,§
,§§,,,,,§,                                          §,§§§,,,,§
,§§§,,,,,§                                          ,,§,§§,,,,
,§,§§,,,,,                                          ,,,,§§§,,,
,,,§§§,,,,                                          ,,,,§,§§,,
,,,§,§§,,,                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?         ,,,§,,§,,§
§,,,§,,,,,                                          ,,,,§,,§,,
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,,§,,,§,,,                                          ,§,,,,§,,§
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,§,,§,,,§,                                          §,,§,,,,§,