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