@@.@@@@@.. ..@..@.@.@
..@@....@. @.@@.@@@@@
@.@.@...@@ .@@.@@....
@@@@@@..@. @@.@@.@...
@.....@.@@ ..@@.@@@..
@@....@@@. 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? @@@..@..@@
@@@.....@@ ...@.@@.@.
@..@....@. @..@@@.@@@
.@.@@...@@ .@.@..@@..
.@@@.@..@. @@@@@.@.@.
.@..@@@.@@ @....@@@@@