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