,~«/§%§###                                          ###§%§/«~,
,~«/§%§###                                          ###§%§/«~,
,~«/§%§###                                          ###§%§/«~,
,~«/§§§§§#                                          #§§§§§/«~,
,~«/§§####                                          ####§§/«~,
,~~«««/§§#               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?          ###§%§/«~,
,~«/§%§###                                          ###§%§/«~,
,~«/§%§###                                          ###§%§/«~,
,~«/§%§###                                          ###§%§/«~,
,,,~~/§§%§                                          §%§§/~~,,,
,~«/§%§§##                                          ##§§%§/«~,