¨&¨&&¨¨&&¨ ¨&¨&&&&¨¨¨
&&&¨&¨&¨&& &&&¨¨¨&¨¨¨
¨¨&&&&&&¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨&
¨&¨¨¨¨¨&¨& ¨&&¨&¨&¨&&
&&¨¨¨¨&&&& &¨&&&&&&¨&
¨&¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨&¨¨&¨¨¨&¨
¨¨&&&¨&¨¨& &&¨&&¨¨&&&
¨&¨¨&&&¨&¨ ¨&&¨&¨&¨¨&
&&¨&¨¨&&&¨ &¨&&&&&¨&&
¨&&&¨&¨¨&& &&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨
&¨¨&&&¨&¨& ¨&¨¨¨&¨&¨¨