««««
«-- --«
*- -*
*«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ * * ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«*
«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ *- -* ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ «-- --« ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ «««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨-«*^§#£##
#£#§^*«-¨¨ ¨¨-«*^§#£#
£#§^*«-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-«*^§#£
#§^*«-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-«*^§#
§^*«-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-«*^§
^*«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«*^