###@$†/«:¨                                          ¨:«/†$@###
#@$$//«¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨«//$$@#
###@$†/«:¨                                          ¨:«/†$@###
@@††«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«††@@
####$†/«:¨                                          ¨:«/†$####
###@$†/«:¨                Winds esker               ¨:«/†$@###
@$/«¨¨¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨«/$@
#$$/«:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:«/$$#
###@$†/«:¨ There Was  This Place That For Two Years ¨:«/†$@###
###@$†/«:¨ I  Couldn'T Go To. Regardless  How  Much ¨:«/†$@###
###@$†/«:¨ Discussed  With Others,  Or  Pointed Out ¨:«/†$@###
###@$†/«:¨ On Maps,  I  Could Not  Think Of It When ¨:«/†$@###
#@†««:¨¨¨¨ 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?         ¨¨¨¨¨¨:/†@
#@$$$†/«:¨                                          ¨:«/†$$$@#
##$$††/«:¨                                          ¨:«/††$$##
@††//::¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:://††@
##@@$†/«:¨                                          ¨:«/†$@@##
##@$$†/«:¨                                          ¨:«/†$$@##