@@%%%»»... ...»»%%%@@
@%\»»..... .....»»\%@
¶¶@%»».... ....»»%@¶¶
@@%%%%\»~. .~»\%%%%@@
#@¶@%%\»~. .~»\%%@¶@#
#@¶@%%\»~. 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? .~»\%%@¶@#
#@¶@%%\»~. .~»\%%@¶@#
@%%»...... ......»%%@
##@¶%%\»~. .~»\%%¶@##
¶%%%\\»... ...»\\%%%¶
##@@%%\»~. .~»\%%@@##