##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*@##
###@#*=~,, ,,~=*#@###
#@#*~~,,,, ,,,,~~*#@#
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*@##
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*@##
@&&&=,,,,, 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? ,,~=*@##
@&&=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=&&@
@#*=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=*#@
@&*=~~,,,, ,,,,~~=*&@
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*@##
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*@##