###*%/«^,,                                          ,,^«/%*###
##*%/«^,,,                                          ,,,^«/%*##
#*%/«^,,,,                                          ,,,,^«/%*#
*%/«^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^«/%*
%/«^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^«/%
*%/«^,,,,,                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?          ,,,,,,^«/%
*%/«^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^«/%*
#*%/«^,,,,                                          ,,,,^«/%*#
##*%/«^,,,                                          ,,,^«/%*##
###*%/«^,,                                          ,,^«/%*###
####*%/«^,                                          ,^«/%*####