,-~:§$@@## ##@@$§:~-,
,,,,~::$$& &$$::~,,,,
,,,-:§§&&& &&&§§:-,,,
,,,,~~~§&@ @&§~~~,,,,
,-~:§$&@@# #@@&$§:~-,
,-~:§$&@@# winds esker #@@&$§:~-,
,-~:§$&@## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##@&$§:~-,
,,,,-~:$@@ @@$:~-,,,,
,,,,,,-:$@ there was this place that for two years @$:-,,,,,,
,-~:§§$$$& i couldn't go to. regardless how much &$$$§§:~-,
,-~:§$$&@@ discussed with others, or pointed out @@&$$§:~-,
,-~§$&@@## on maps, i could not think of it when ##@@&$§~-,
,-~:§$&@@@ alone. i would often travel past the @@@&$§:~-,
,-~:§$&@@# fork, where a right turn would surely #@@&$§:~-,
,-~:§&@@## 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? &§~~,,,,,,
,-~:§§$&&& &&&$§§:~-,
,-~:§$&@@# #@@&$§:~-,
,-~:§$$&&& &&&$$§:~-,
,,,,~:§$&@ @&$§:~,,,,
,,,,-~~:$& &$:~~-,,,,