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-,, ,,-
=, ,=
,,-=$%&### ,,,,,,,,,,,, = = ,,,,,,,,,,,, ###&%$=-,,
,,-==$%&## =, ,= ##&%$==-,,
,,-=$%&### -,, ,,- ###&%$=-,,
,,-=$%&### ---- ###&%$=-,,
,,----$%## ##%$----,,
,,-=$%&### The River That'S Our River Makes A ###&%$=-,,
,,-=$%&### Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A ###&%$=-,,
,,-=$$$%&# Decent Days Travel North From That #&%$$$=-,,
,,-=$%&### Stands Our House In The Middle Of A ###&%$=-,,
,,,--=%&&& 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 #&$$=-,,,,
,,-=$%&### Behind In Our Duties. ###&%$=-,,
,,,,---$$& &$$---,,,,
,,,,-===%# #%===-,,,,
,,,,,,=%## ##%=,,,,,,
,,-=$%&### ###&%$=-,,
,,,,,,-=%# #%=-,,,,,,