,,,,,,#,##                                          ,,##,##,,,
,,,,,##,,#                                          ,#,#,,#,,,
,,,,#,#,#,                                          ,#,#,##,,,
,,,##,#,#,                                          ,#,#,,#,,,
,,#,#,#,#,                                          ,#,#,##,,,
,##,#,#,#,                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?          ,#,#,##,#,
#,#,#,#,#,                                          ,#,#,,#,#,
#,#,#,#,#,                                          ,#,#,##,#,
#,#,#,#,#,                                          ,#,#,,#,#,
#,#,#,#,#,                                          ,#,#,##,#,
#,#,#,#,#,                                          ,#,#,,#,#,