.@@....@.. ..@..@@...
.@@@....@. ...@.@@@..
.@.@@....@ @....@.@@.
...@@@.... .@.....@@@
@..@.@@... ..@....@.@
@@...@@@.. 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? @@..@.@@..
...@.@@... @@@...@@@.
.....@@@.. @.@@..@.@@
@....@.@@. ..@@@...@@
@@.....@@@ ..@.@@..@.
@@@....@.@ ....@@@...