&*%/«~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~«/%*&
#&*%/«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«/%*&#
@#&*%/«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«/%*&#@
#@#&*%/«~¨                                          ¨~«/%*&#@#
@#&*%/«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«/%*&#@
#&*%/«~¨¨¨               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?          ¨¨¨¨~«/%*&
#&*%/«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«/%*&#
@#&*%/«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«/%*&#@
#@#&*%/«~¨                                          ¨~«/%*&#@#
@#&*%/«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«/%*&#@
#&*%/«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«/%*&#