##¶£$^*~^,                                          ,^~*^$£¶##
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###¶$^*~^,                                          ,^~*^$¶###
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£$*^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^*$£
###£$^*~^,               Winds esker                ,^~*^$£###
#£$$***~^, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,^~***$$£#
¶¶$**^^,,,                                          ,,,^^**$¶¶
##¶£$^*~^, There  Was This Place That For Two Years ,^~*^$£¶##
£^*^^^^^^, 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 ,,,,^~*^£#
##¶£$^*~^, Me?  If  I Shouted,  Would They Turn  To ,^~*^$£¶##
££$^~^^,,,          Stare Right Through Me?         ,,,^^~^$££
#££^***~^,                                          ,^~***^££#
£££^^**~^,                                          ,^~**^^£££
££$$$^*~^,                                          ,^~*^$$$££
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##¶£$^*~^,                                          ,^~*^$£¶##