««««                             
                          «..    ..«                          
                        \.          .\                        
......«\†% ............ \            \ ............ %†\«......
.......«\†              \.          .\              †\«.......
........«\                «..    ..«                \«........
.........«                   ««««                   «.........
..........                                          ..........
.......... 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.           %†\«......
.......«\†                                          †\«.......
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