¨.-==&£@@# #@@£&==-.¨
¨.-==&£@## ##@£&==-.¨
¨.-==&£@## ##@£&==-.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.=&&@ @&&=.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.-==&£@@# #@@£&==-.¨
¨¨¨¨.====£ 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? ##@£&==-.¨
¨....-===£ £===-....¨
¨.-=&£@### ###@£&=-.¨
¨.-==&£@## ##@£&==-.¨
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