¨^«==&&#@#                                          #@#&&==«^¨
¨¨^«==&&#@                                          @#&&==«^¨¨
¨^«==&&#@#                                          #@#&&==«^¨
¨¨^«==&&#@                                          @#&&==«^¨¨
¨^«==&&#@#                                          #@#&&==«^¨
¨¨^«==&&#@                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?          #@#&&==«^¨
¨¨^«==&&#@                                          @#&&==«^¨¨
¨^«==&&#@#                                          #@#&&==«^¨
¨¨^«==&&#@                                          @#&&==«^¨¨
¨^«==&&#@#                                          #@#&&==«^¨
¨¨^«==&&#@                                          @#&&==«^¨¨