,,&&,&,,&,                                          &,&,&,&&,&
&,&,&&&,&&                                          &&&&&&&,&&
,&&&&,,&&,                                          ,,,,,,,&&,
,&,,,&,&,&                                          ,,,,,,,&,&
&&&,,&&&&&                                          &,,,,,,&&&
,,,&,&,,,,                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?         ,&,,,,&,,&
&&,,,&&&&&                                          &&&,,,&&,&
,,&,,&,,,,                                          &,,&,,&,&&
&,&&,&&,,,                                          &&,&&,&&&,
&&&,&&,&,,                                          &,&&,&&,,&
,,,&&,&&&,                                          &&&,&&,&,&