&&%////«,.                                          .,«////%&&
##&&&%/«,.                                          .,«/%&&&##
###&&%/«,.                                          .,«/%&&###
&&%/,.....                                          .....,/%&&
&%«,,,....                                          ....,,,«%&
&%«,......               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?          .,«/%&####
###&&%/«,.                                          .,«/%&&###
###&&%/«,.                                          .,«/%&&###
###&&%/«,.                                          .,«/%&&###
###&&%/«,.                                          .,«/%&&###
&&&&&%/«,.                                          .,«/%&&&&&