&&&,,,&,,& &&,,,&&,&,
,,&,,&&,&, ,&,,&,&&&&
,&&,&,&&&, &&,&&&,,,&
&,&&&&,,&, ,&&,,&,,&&
&&,,,&,&&, &,&,&&,&,,
,&,,&&&,&& 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? &&,&&&,&,,
&&,,,&&,&, ,&&,,&&&,&
,&,,&,&&&& &,&,&,,&&,
&&,&&&,,,, &&&&&,&,&,
,&&,,&,,,, ,,,,&&&&&&
&,&,&&,,,, ,,,&,,,,,&