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