.:«^**$$¶¶                                          ¶¶$$**^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶¶@                                          @¶¶¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶¶@                                          @¶¶¤$*^«:.
....««**¤¤                                          ¤¤**««....
.:«^*$¤¶@#                Winds esker               #@¶¤$*^«:.
.....«**¤¶ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¶¤**«.....
.:«^*$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$$$¶@ There  Was This Place That For Two Years @¶$$$*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶## I  Couldn'T Go  To. Regardless How  Much ##¶¤$*^«:.
....«^*$¤¶ Discussed With  Others,  Or Pointed  Out ¶¤$*^«....
......:«*¤ 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 ¤*«.......
.:«^*$¤¤¤¶          Been Different Indeed.          ¶¤¤¤$*^«:.
.......«*¤                                          ¤*«.......
.:«^*¤¶@## «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ##@¶¤*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶@# On  The  Lake,   There  Were  People  In #@¶¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶@@ Boats. I Wondered,  Could  They Even See @@¶¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶@# Me?  If  I Shouted,  Would They Turn  To #@¶¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$¤¶¶@          Stare Right Through Me?         @¶¶¤$*^«:.
.:«^*$¶@##                                          ##@¶$*^«:.
.....:^*¤@                                          @¤*^:.....
.:«^^***$¶                                          ¶$***^^«:.
...«^^*$$¶                                          ¶$$*^^«...
.:«^****$¶                                          ¶$****^«:.