««««
«~~ ~~«
^~ ~^
¨~«^%%%%¶# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¶%%%%^«~¨
¨~«^%%¤### ^~ ~^ ###¤%%^«~¨
¨~«^%%¤¶## «~~ ~~« ##¶¤%%^«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«%%¤ «««« ¤%%«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~«^%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%^«~¨
¨~«^%%¤¶## 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. ##¶¤%%^«~¨
¨~«^%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%^«~¨
¨~«^%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%^«~¨
¨¨¨¨««%%¤¤ ¤¤%%««¨¨¨¨
¨~«^%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%^«~¨
¨~«^%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%^«~¨