----
-:: ::-
:: ::
§§§¨§¨¨§¨§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : : ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§§
¨¨¨§§§¨§§§ :: :: ¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨ -:: ::- §§¨§¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨§§¨§¨§¨ ---- §¨§§§¨§§¨§
¨§¨§¨§§§§§ §§§¨¨§§¨§§
§§§§§§¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§§§¨§§§¨¨ ¨¨§§§§§§§§
§§¨¨§§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§§ §§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§§§§§§§§¨ §¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ §§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨