¨¨¨¨¨^~=##                                          ##=~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/=$####                                          ####$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶##                                          ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨¨¨^//=##¶                                          ¶##=//^¨¨¨
¨^^^^^~=##                                          ##=~^^^^^¨
¨^~/=#¶###                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 #=/~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/=$##¶# Sat:  From  The  Stairwell Of  My House, #¶##$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶## Through  The Old  Woods Behind The  Tile ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶##      Factory, The Bridge Over Route      ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶## Twenty three  And  Then  Back  Under It, ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶¶# Through  The  Fancy  Villas,  Over   The #¶¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~//=$##¶ Fields, And Then That Right  Turn At The ¶##$=//~^¨
¨¨¨^^~/$##                  Fork.                   ##$/~^^¨¨¨
¨^~///$###                                          ###$///~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶## And Then  The Stairs  Up  On The  Ridge. ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$##¶¶ Thinking  Back, This  Was  Probably  It. ¶¶##$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶## Hidden In A  Grove,  There  Were  Stairs ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#### Much  Like The Ones I Currently Sat  On, ####$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶## Old  And Worn  Down, That  Lead  You  Up ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$¶### Onto  The Esker. The Point Of Entry. Had ###¶$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶## I Insted Opted  To Walk The Path  At Its ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^/$¶¶ Foot, I'M  Sure My  Experience  Would'Ve ¶¶$/^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/=$#¶##          Been Different Indeed.          ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~==#                                          #==~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^^/=# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #=/^^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~/=$#¶##                                          ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~///$### On  The   Lake,  There  Were  People  In ###$///~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~/$## Boats.  I Wondered, Could They Even  See ##$/~^¨¨¨¨
¨^~/=$#¶## Me?  If I Shouted,  Would They  Turn  To ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶##         Stare Right Through Me?          ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶#$=/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~==#                                          #==~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/=$#¶##                                          ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨^~/=$#¶##                                          ##¶#$=/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^/$¶                                          ¶$/^¨¨¨¨¨¨