,#,,,#,###                                          ####,#,,,#
##,,###,,#                                          ,,,###,,##
,#,#,,#,##                                          ,,#,,#,#,,
####,###,#                                          ,##,####,,
,,,##,,###                                          #,##,,,#,#
,,#,#,#,,,               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?          ###,###,,#
#,##,,,##,                                          ,,##,,#,##
##,#,,#,#,                                          ,#,#,###,,
,###,#####                                          #####,,#,#
#,,##,,,,#                                          ,,,,#,####
#,#,#,,,##                                          ,,,###,,,,