««««
«^^ ^^«
=^ ^=
&¨&&&¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = = ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ &¨¨&&¨&¨&¨
&&&¨¨&&¨¨& =^ ^= ¨&¨&¨&&&&&
¨¨¨&¨&¨&¨& «^^ ^^« ¨&&&&&¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨&&&&&&& «««« &&¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨
¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨¨&&¨¨
¨¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨&&&&¨¨&¨&
¨¨¨&¨&&&&& &&¨¨¨&¨&&&
&¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨&&&¨¨
&&¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ &¨&&¨&¨¨&¨
&¨&&&¨&&¨¨ &&&¨&&&¨&&
¨&&¨¨&&¨&¨ &¨¨&&¨¨&&¨