~~~~
~:: ::~
*: :*
#§§~~~:... ............ * * ............ ...:~~~§§#
@@##$§*~:. *: :* .:~*§$##@@
##@#$§*~:. ~:: ::~ .:~*§$#@##
@###$§*~:. ~~~~ .:~*§$###@
##§§§~:... ...:~§§§##
@###$§*~:. The River That'S Our River Makes A .:~*§$###@
@@##$§*~:. Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A .:~*§$##@@
#@##$§*~:. Decent Days Travel North From That .:~*§$##@#
@###$§*~:. Stands Our House In The Middle Of A .:~*§$###@
###$$§*~:. Forgotten Apple Orchard. Our House Is .:~*§$$###
#@##$§*~:. Built Of Dark Clay And Abandoned By A .:~*§$##@#
#@##$§*~:. Stranger. The Window Has No Glass But .:~*§$##@#
###$§**~:. Instead Steel Bars To Keep The Animals .:~**§$###
##$$$§*~:. Out. .:~*§$$$##
@##$§§*~:. .:~*§§$##@
@@##$§*~:. Around The House Is A Thick, Thick .:~*§$##@@
@@##$§*~:. Brush Of Ferns And Bushes. There Live .:~*§$##@@
#@##$§*~:. The Animals That We Fight To Keep Away, .:~*§$##@#
##§§~..... 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. ....:~§§#@
#$§§§~~... ...~~§§§$#
#@##$§*~:. Now He Leaves As Soon As He'S Awake And .:~*§$##@#
#$$*~~.... Falls Asleep As Soon As He Returns. We ....~~*$$#
##$$$§*~:. Are Left To Care For Us And The House .:~*§$$$##
#@##$§*~:. And The Orchard. But It Is Hard And We .:~*§$##@#
####$§*~:. Are Distracted. We Are Not As .:~*§$####
###$§§*~:. Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall .:~*§§$###
##$$*~.... Behind In Our Duties. ....~*$$##
#@##$§*~:. .:~*§$##@#
@###$§*~:. .:~*§$###@
#@##$§*~:. .:~*§$##@#
@##$**:... ...:**$##@
@##§~~~~:. .:~~~~§##@