###@$=\~,, ,,~\=$@###
###@$=\~,, ,,~\=$@###
#@=~~~~~,, ,,~~~~~=@#
@=\,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,\=@
###@$=\~,, ,,~\=$@###
#@==~,,,,, 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? ,,,,\\\\=@
@$\\,,,,,, ,,,,,,\\$@
###@$=\~,, ,,~\=$@###
###@$=\~,, ,,~\=$@###
###@$=\~,, ,,~\=$@###
###@$=\~,, ,,~\=$@###