§.....§.§§                                          §§.§.§.§§.
§....§§..§                                          .§.§.§..§.
§...§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§.§§.
§..§§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§..§.
§.§.§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§.               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?          .§.§.§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§..§.
§.§.§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§..§.
§.§.§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§.                                          .§.§.§..§.