~~~~
~-- --~
*- -*
##¶#*†*~-¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ * * ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨-~*†*#¶##
#¶#*†*~-¨¨ *- -* ¨¨-~*†*#¶#
¶#*†*~-¨¨¨ ~-- --~ ¨¨¨-~*†*#¶
#*†*~-¨¨¨¨ ~~~~ ¨¨¨¨-~*†*#
*†*~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~*†*
†*~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨-~*†*#¶
#*†*~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~*†*#
*†*~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~*†*
†*~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~*†
*~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~*
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~