¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^                                          ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^                                          ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/                                          /~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/*               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?         #£&*/~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~/*&£                                          £&*/~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~/*&                                          &*/~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/*                                          */~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/                                          /~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨