¨¨¨^=^†$£@                                          @£$†^=^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^=^†$£                                          £$†^=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=^†$                                          $†^=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^†                                          †^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^                                          ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=               Winds esker                =^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^ ======================================== ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^†                                          †^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=^†$ 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?          @£$†^=^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^=^†$£                                          £$†^=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=^†$                                          $†^=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^†                                          †^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^                                          ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=                                          =^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨