.~~^§££@## ##@££§^~~.
..~~^§££@# #@££§^~~..
...~~^§££@ @££§^~~...
....~~^§££ ££§^~~....
.....~~^§£ £§^~~.....
....~~^§££ 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? £§^~~.....
....~~^§££ ££§^~~....
...~~^§££@ @££§^~~...
..~~^§££@# #@££§^~~..
.~~^§££@## ##@££§^~~.
..~~^§££@# #@££§^~~..