~~~~
~~~ ~~~
†~ ~†
%†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † † ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†%
†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †~ ~† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~ ~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†%
†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨