----
-^^ ^^-
=^ ^=
¨^-=*&¤#@# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = = ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #@#¤&*=-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=*¤ =^ ^= ¤*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-=*&¤#@# -^^ ^^- #@#¤&*=-^¨
¨¨¨-=**&¤# ---- #¤&**=-¨¨¨
¨¨¨-==&¤¤¤ ¤¤¤&==-¨¨¨
¨^-=*&¤### 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. ¤*=--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^--*¤¤ ¤¤*--^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-==*¤ ¤*==-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=*¤ ¤*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-=*¤@ @¤*=-^¨¨¨¨
¨^-=*&¤#@@ @@#¤&*=-^¨