,,,^::%*¶¶                                          ¶¶*%::^,,,
,,,««:%%*¶                                          ¶*%%:««,,,
,^«:%*£¶##                                          ##¶£*%:«^,
,,,,,^:%%£                                          £%%:^,,,,,
,,,,,«:*¶#                                          #¶*:«,,,,,
,^«:%*£¶##                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?         ##¶£*%:«^,
,^«:%*£££#                                          #£££*%:«^,
,^«:%*£¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶£*%:«^,
,^«:%*£¶##                                          ##¶£*%:«^,
,^«:%*£¶##                                          ##¶£*%:«^,
,^«:%*£¶##                                          ##¶£*%:«^,