##£@*†/«^¨                                          ¨^«/†*@£##
##£@*†/«^¨                                          ¨^«/†*@£##
£@@††/«¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨«/††@@£
££*†/««¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨««/†*££
##£@*†/«^¨                                          ¨^«/†*@£##
£££@*†/«^¨                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?         ¨^«/†*@£##
##£@*†/«^¨                                          ¨^«/†*@£##
£@**/^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^/**@£
#@@††/««^¨                                          ¨^««/††@@#
##£@*†/«^¨                                          ¨^«/†*@£##
#@††«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«††@#