.......&&. .&&.&.&...
.......&.& &&.&&&&&..
.......&&& &.&&....&.
.......&.. &&&.&...&&
&......&&. &..&&&..&.
&&.....&.& 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? &...&&&&..
&&.&&.&.&. .&..&...&.
&.&&.&&&&& .&&.&&..&&
.&&.&&.... .&.&&.&.&.
.&.&&.&... .&&&.&&&&&
&&&&.&&&.. .&..&&....