@&^†«,,...                                          ...,,«†^&@
@@@&§^†«,.                                          .,«†^§&@@@
#@@&§^†«,.                                          .,«†^§&@@#
##@@&§^«,.                                          .,«^§&@@##
@&^†«,,...                                          ...,,«†^&@
&^^^†«....                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?         .,«†^§&@@#
##@&§^†«,.                                          .,«†^§&@##
##@@§^†«,.                                          .,«†^§@@##
#@@&§^†«,.                                          .,«†^§&@@#
#@@&§^†«,.                                          .,«†^§&@@#
@&^«««,,,.                                          .,,,«««^&@