~~~~
~-- --~
\- -\
##¶¤**\~-¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨-~\**¤¶##
#¶¤**\~-¨¨ \- -\ ¨¨-~\**¤¶#
¶¤**\~-¨¨¨ ~-- --~ ¨¨¨-~\**¤¶
¤**\~-¨¨¨¨ ~~~~ ¨¨¨¨-~\**¤
**\~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~\**
¤**\~-¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨-~\**¤¶##
#¶¤**\~-¨¨ ¨¨-~\**¤¶#
¶¤**\~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~\**¤¶
¤**\~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~\**¤
**\~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~\**
¤**\~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~\**¤