†«^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^«†
^†«^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^«†^
@^†«^,,,,, ,,,,,^«†^@
@@^†«^,,,, ,,,,^«†^@@
@@@^†«^,,, ,,,^«†^@@@
#@@@^†«^,, 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? ,,,,,,,^«†
^†«^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^«†^
@^†«^,,,,, ,,,,,^«†^@
@@^†«^,,,, ,,,,^«†^@@
@@@^†«^,,, ,,,^«†^@@@
#@@@^†«^,, ,,^«†^@@@#