,,,,::«;$# #$;«::,,,,
,,,,,,«%§§ §§%«,,,,,,
,,,,,:«;$§ §$;«:,,,,,
,,,,,,««%§ §%««,,,,,,
,:«;%$§### ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### winds esker ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%%$$## ##$$%%;«:,
,,,,,:«%$# there was this place that for two years #$%«:,,,,,
,,,,::«%§# 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, #§%;«:,,,,
,:«;%$§### old and worn down, that lead you up ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### onto the esker. the point of entry. had ###§$%;«:,
,,::;%$$## i insted opted to walk the path at its ##$$%;::,,
,:«;%$#### foot, i'm sure my experience would've ####$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### been different indeed. ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### ###§$%;«:,
,,,:;%$§## «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ##§$%;:,,,
,:«;%$§### ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§§§# on the lake, there were people in #§§§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### boats. i wondered, could they even see ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### me? if i shouted, would they turn to ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### stare right through me? ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### ###§$%;«:,
,,,,«;$§§# #§§$;«,,,,
,:«;%$§§§# #§§§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### ###§$%;«:,
,:«;%$§### ###§$%;«:,