.,«=^*#@##                                          ##@#*^=«,.
.,=^*#@###                                          ###@#*^=,.
....«^**@@                                          @@**^«....
.,«=^*#@##                                          ##@#*^=«,.
.,«=^*#@##                                          ##@#*^=«,.
.,«=^*#@##               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?         ##^«,,....
.,«=^^*##@                                          @##*^^=«,.
.,«=^*#@##                                          ##@#*^=«,.
.,«=^*#@##                                          ##@#*^=«,.
...,«==*##                                          ##*==«,...
.,«====^^#                                          #^^====«,.