,,,»»/=&&@ @&&=/»»,,,
,~»/=§@# #@#&§=/»~,
,~»/====&@ @&====/»~,
,,,~»//§## ##§//»~,,,
,,,,,~»=&& &&=»~,,,,,
,~»/=§@@ 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? &§==/»»»~,
,,,,~/=§&@ @&§=/~,,,,
,~»/=§@# #@#&§=/»~,
,~»/=§@@ @@#&§=/»~,
,~»/=§§§§& &§§§§=/»~,
,~»/=§## ###&§=/»~,