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