¨¨¨,/***§§                                          §§***/,¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~///*§                                          §*///~~¨¨¨
¨¨,~~/***§                                          §***/~~,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~**§                                          §**~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~/**§###                                          ###§**/~,¨
¨,~/**§###               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?         #**/~,,¨¨¨
¨,~/**####                                          ####**/~,¨
¨¨¨¨,/***§                                          §***/,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~~**§                                          §**~~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~/**##                                          ##**/~,¨¨¨
¨,~/*§####                                          ####§*/~,¨