@@@^^«,,,, ,,,,«^^@@@
@@@^*~~,,, ,,,~~*^@@@
#@@**~,,,, ,,,,~**@@#
###@@^*«~, ,~«*^@@###
###@@^*«~, ,~«*^@@###
###@@^*«~, 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? ,~«*^@@###
#@^««,,,,, ,,,,,««^@#
###@@^*«~, ,~«*^@@###
###@@^*«~, ,~«*^@@###
###@@^*«~, ,~«*^@@###
###@@^*«~, ,~«*^@@###