@#§=/~-,,, ,,,-~/=§#@
#§=/~-,,,, ,,,,-~/=§#
§=/~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~/=§
=/~-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-~/=
/~-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-~/
~-,,,,,,,, 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? ,,,,,,,-~/
~-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-~
-,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,-
~-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-~
/~-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-~/
=/~-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-~/=