~~~~                             
                          ~::    ::~                          
                        ;:          :;                        
....:;§§£# ............ ;            ; ............ #£§§;:....
.:~;$§§£##              ;:          :;              ##£§§$;~:.
....::;$$§                ~::    ::~                §$$;::....
.:~;$§§£##                   ~~~~                   ##£§§$;~:.
.:~;$§§§££                                          ££§§§$;~:.
.::~~~$§£# The  River  That'S  Our  River  Makes  A #£§$~~~::.
.:~;$§§£## Large  Bend Like A Scooping Hand  And  A ##£§§$;~:.
....::~;§£ 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 §§$$$~~...
.:~;$§§£## Are Left To Care  For Us  And The  House ##£§§$;~:.
.:~;$§§£## And The Orchard.  But It  Is Hard And We ##£§§$;~:.
....:~~$§# Are   Distracted.   We   Are   Not    As #§$~~:....
.:~;$§§£## Persistent As  Father  And Quickly  Fall ##£§§$;~:.
.:~;$§§£##          Behind In Our Duties.           ##£§§$;~:.
...~~;;§§§                                          §§§;;~~...
.:~;$§£###                                          ###£§$;~:.
.:~;$§§£##                                          ##£§§$;~:.
.:~;$§§£##                                          ##£§§$;~:.
....:::;$§                                          §$;:::....