##**/««,¨¨                                          ¨¨,««/**##
##¶#**/«,¨                                          ¨,«/**#¶##
¶¶#***/«,¨                                          ¨,«/***#¶¶
##¶#**/«,¨                                          ¨,«/**#¶##
##¶#**/«,¨                                          ¨,«/**#¶##
#*«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                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?          ¨¨¨,,«««*#
##*/«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«/*##
##¶#**/«,¨                                          ¨,«/**#¶##
####**/«,¨                                          ¨,«/**####
##¶#**/«,¨                                          ¨,«/**#¶##
##¶#**/«,¨                                          ¨,«/**#¶##