###&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&###
&%\\««....                                          ....««\\%&
#&%*\\«...                                          ...«\\*%&#
###&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&###
###&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&###
###&%*\«,.               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?         .,«\*%&&##
###&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&###
###&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&###
###&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&###
###&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&###
&%%%\,....                                          ....,\%%%&