&§«^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^«§&
###£&$§;«^                                          ^«;§$&£###
&$§««^^^,,                                          ,,^^^««§$&
###£&§;«^,                                          ,^«;§&£###
££$;«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«;$££
##£&$§;«^,               winds esker                ,^«;§$&£##
&§§«^,,,,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,,,,^«§§&
###£$§;«^,                                          ,^«;§$£###
##£&$§;«^, there was this place that  for two years ,^«;§$&£##
£$$$§«^,,, i couldn't  go to.  regardless  how much ,,,^«§$$$£
#&$$§«^,,, discussed with  others,  or pointed  out ,,,^«§$$&#
#£$;«,,,,, on maps,  i could  not  think of it when ,,,,,«;$£#
###&$§;«^, alone.  i would  often  travel  past the ,^«;§$&###
##£&$§;«^, fork, where a  right  turn would  surely ,^«;§$&£##
##£&$§;«^, take me there,  but even then, something ,^«;§$&£##
£$;^,,,,,,              kept me away.               ,,,,,,^;$£
&§;«,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,«;§&
&$;^,,,,,, when  i  finally  got there, after  some ,,,,,,^;$&
###&$§;«^,     heavy subconscious battle i must     ,^«;§$&###
£$$;^,,,,, assume,   the  place  was   surreal.  an ,,,,,^;$$£
##£&$§;«^, esker,  like a needle-thin  rift  out in ,^«;§$&£##
#&$§;;;«^, the  lake,  but  ten  meters  high   and ,^«;;;§$&#
#£$$;;««^, adorned in birch, willow,  bracken,  and ,^««;;$$£#
&&§«,,,,,,               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 ,,,,««§§&&
##£&$§;«^, onto the  esker. the point of entry. had ,^«;§$&£##
##£&$§;«^, i  insted opted to walk the path  at its ,^«;§$&£##
##£&$§;«^, foot, i'm  sure  my experience  would've ,^«;§$&£##
£&$§§««,,,          been different indeed.          ,,,««§§$&£
££&$§;««^,                                          ,^««;§$&££
##£&$§;«^, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,^«;§$&£##
##£&$§;«^,                                          ,^«;§$&£##
£&$§;^,,,, on  the  lake,  there   were  people  in ,,,,^;§$&£
##£&$§;«^, boats. i  wondered, could they even  see ,^«;§$&£##
##£&$§;«^, me?  if i shouted,  would  they turn  to ,^«;§$&£##
#£$$$§;«^,          stare right through me?         ,^«;§$$$£#
###£$§;«^,                                          ,^«;§$£###
##£&$§;«^,                                          ,^«;§$&£##
£$$$$§;«^,                                          ,^«;§$$$$£
##£&$§;«^,                                          ,^«;§$&£##
&$;^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^;$&