¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=                                          =~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*                                          *=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*†                                          †*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=*†&                                          &†*=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=*†&£                                          £&†*=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~=*†&£#               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?         †*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*                                          *=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=                                          =~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~                                          ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~                                          ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨