&,&&&&,&,, ,&&,,,&&,,
&&,,,&&&,, &,&,,&,&,&
,&,,&,,&,& &&&,&&&&&,
&&,&&,&&&& ,,&&,,,,&,
,&&,&&,,,, ,&,&,,,&&&
&,&&,&,,,& 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? ,,&&&&&,,&
&,&&&,&&&& ,&,,,,&,&,
&&,,&&,,,, &&,,,&&&&&
,&,&,&,,,, ,&,,&,,,,,
&&&&&&,,,, &&,&&,,,,,
,,,,,&,,,, ,&&,&,,,,&