###@§%;=:. .:=;%§@###
#@@@§%;=:. .:=;%§@@@#
#@§;;=:... ...:=;;§@#
###@§%;=:. .:=;%§@###
###@§%;=:. .:=;%§@###
###@§%;=:. 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? .:=;%§§@##
###@§%;=:. .:=;%§@###
###@§%;=:. .:=;%§@###
#@%=:..... .....:=%@#
#@§%;;=... ...=;;%§@#
@§§§§%;=:. .:=;%§§§§@