¨¨¨¨¨,=*†£                                          £†*=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=*†£§                                          §£†*=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=*†£§#                                          #§£†*=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=*†£§##                                          ##§£†*=,¨¨
¨,=*†£§###                                          ###§£†*=,¨
¨¨,=*†£§##               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?          #§£†*=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=*†£§                                          §£†*=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=*†£                                          £†*=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=*†                                          †*=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=*                                          *=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=                                          =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨