,,,,,,.«;†                                          †;«.,,,,,,
,,,,,.«;†@                                          @†;«.,,,,,
,,,,.«;†@§                                          §@†;«.,,,,
,,,.«;†@§@                                          @§@†;«.,,,
,,.«;†@§@#                                          #@§@†;«.,,
,.«;†@§@##               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?          #@§@†;«.,,
,.«;†@§@##                                          ##@§@†;«.,
,,.«;†@§@#                                          #@§@†;«.,,
,,,.«;†@§@                                          @§@†;«.,,,
,,,,.«;†@§                                          §@†;«.,,,,
,,,,,.«;†@                                          @†;«.,,,,,