====                             
                          =~~    ~~=                          
                        \~          ~\                        
...~=\^£&# ............ \            \ ............ #&£^\=~...
....~=\^£&              \~          ~\              &£^\=~....
.....~=\^£                =~~    ~~=                £^\=~.....
......~=\^                   ====                   ^\=~......
.......~=\                                          \=~.......
........~= The  River  That'S  Our  River  Makes  A =~........
.........~ Large Bend Like  A  Scooping Hand And  A ~.........
.......... Decent   Days  Travel  North  From  That ..........
.......... Stands  Our  House  In  The  Middle Of A ..........
.......... Forgotten  Apple Orchard. Our  House  Is ..........
.........~ Built  Of  Dark Clay And Abandoned By  A ~.........
........~= Stranger.  The  Window Has No  Glass But =~........
.......~=\ Instead Steel Bars To  Keep  The Animals \=~.......
......~=\^                   Out.                   ^\=~......
.....~=\^£                                          £^\=~.....
....~=\^£& Around  The  House  Is  A  Thick,  Thick &£^\=~....
...~=\^£&# Brush  Of  Ferns  And Bushes. There Live #&£^\=~...
..~=\^£&## The Animals That We Fight To Keep  Away, ##&£^\=~..
.~=\^£&### For  They Speak To Us  To  Join Them  In ###&£^\=~.
..~=\^£&## The  Luscious Caves Below  Ground.  They ##&£^\=~..
...~=\^£&# Mean  No Harm But It  Is Not In Our Best #&£^\=~...
....~=\^£& Interest  To Do So.  There  Is Important &£^\=~....
.....~=\^£ Work That Needs To Be Done, And  It Cant £^\=~.....
......~=\^ Be Done By Animals. (Father  Says This.) ^\=~......
.......~=\                                          \=~.......
........~= Every  Morning  Our  Father  Clears  The =~........
.........~ Ferns  And Uproots The Bushes  Only  For ~.........
.......... Them To  Grow  Back  Each  Night.  Their ..........
.......... Leaves Are Teal, White  And Yellow, Some ..........
.......... Even The  Color Of Wine. They Have Lilac ..........
.........~ Flowers And In The Morning They  Are Wet ~.........
........~=                With Dew.                 =~........
.......~=\                                          \=~.......
......~=\^ Father  Is Away  During  The  Day  Doing ^\=~......
.....~=\^£ Important Things  Elsewhere. He Is Weary £^\=~.....
....~=\^£& When He  Returns Home, Each Day More  So &£^\=~....
...~=\^£&# Than The Next. We Learn To Cook For  Him #&£^\=~...
..~=\^£&## So That He Does  Not Have To. We Tend To ##&£^\=~..
.~=\^£&###               His Clothes.               ###&£^\=~.
..~=\^£&##                                          ##&£^\=~..
...~=\^£&# Suddenly The Dense  Bushwork Is Mirrored #&£^\=~...
....~=\^£& Inside.  Stems And  Leaves Appear  Close &£^\=~....
.....~=\^£ To The Walls And  Far From The Light. We £^\=~.....
......~=\^ Are Glad,  For The Flowers Are Beautiful ^\=~......
.......~=\ And  Smell  Good,  And  There  Is Little \=~.......
........~= Decoration  In   Our   House.  But  When =~........
.........~ Father Comes Home He  Is  Angry And Cuts ~.........
.......... Them  All  Down  In  A  Frenzy.  We  Are ..........
..........           Scared Of Him Then.            ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........~ We  Are  Then Tasked With  Removing  Any ~.........
........~= Indoor  Plant We See.  But  They  Are So =~........
.......~=\ Beautiful!  We  Wait Just  Until  Father \=~.......
......~=\^ Comes  Home  And  Until  Then  We  Enjoy ^\=~......
.....~=\^£ Them. Sometimes An Animal Will  Sneak In £^\=~.....
....~=\^£& But We  Always Shoo Them Out. With Fresh &£^\=~....
...~=\^£&# Cut  Flowers  Thrown  Right Outside  The #&£^\=~...
..~=\^£&## House   He  Suspects  And   Resents  Our ##&£^\=~..
.~=\^£&### Inaction.   But   He  Doesn'T  Have  The ###&£^\=~.
..~=\^£&## Energy To  Scold Us. He Weakens Quickly. ##&£^\=~..
...~=\^£&# It Is Not Long Before He Is  Still Tired #&£^\=~...
....~=\^£& Even    In   The    Morning   And   Must &£^\=~....
.....~=\^£    Reluctantly Leave The Outdoor Weed    £^\=~.....
......~=\^ Cutting To  Us  As Well, Untrusting That ^\=~......
.......~=\          We Will Carry It Out.           \=~.......
........~=                                          =~........
.........~ Now He  Leaves As Soon As He'S Awake And ~.........
.......... Falls Asleep  As Soon  As He Returns. We ..........
.......... Are Left To  Care For  Us And The  House ..........
.......... And The Orchard. But It Is  Hard And  We ..........
.........~ Are   Distracted.   We    Are   Not   As ~.........
........~= Persistent As  Father And  Quickly  Fall =~........
.......~=\          Behind In Our Duties.           \=~.......
......~=\^                                          ^\=~......
.....~=\^£                                          £^\=~.....
....~=\^£&                                          &£^\=~....
...~=\^£&#                                          #&£^\=~...
..~=\^£&##                                          ##&£^\=~..