,,=*†%@###                                          ###@%†*=,,
,,,,,=†%%@                                          @%%†=,,,,,
,,,,,,*†@#                                          #@†*,,,,,,
,,=*†%@###                                          ###@%†*=,,
,,,,**††@@                                          @@††**,,,,
,,,,=†%%##               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?          ###@%†*=,,
,,,,,,,*%@                                          @%*,,,,,,,
,,=*†%@###                                          ###@%†*=,,
,,,,,,*††@                                          @††*,,,,,,
,,,,=*†@##                                          ##@†*=,,,,
,,,,**%@@@                                          @@@%**,,,,