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