.-»^*££@## ##@££*^»-.
.-»^*££@@# #@@££*^»-.
.-»^*££@## ##@££*^»-.
.-»^*££@@# #@@££*^»-.
...---^£££ £££^---...
.-»^*££££@ 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? #@@££*^»-.
.-»^*££@@# #@@££*^»-.
...--^££@@ @@££^--...
...»»**£££ £££**»»...
.--»»^££@@ @@££^»»--.
.-»^*££@@# #@@££*^»-.