----
-.. ..-
:. .:
#@#&@^:-.¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : : ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨.-:^@&#@#
@#@@::--.¨ :. .: ¨.--::@@#@
@&&&@^:-.¨ -.. ..- ¨.-:^@&&&@
@#&^--¨¨¨¨ ---- ¨¨¨¨--^&#@
@##&@^:-.¨ ¨.-:^@&##@
##@^^::-.¨ 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. ¨.-:^@&#@#
##@#&^:-.¨ ¨.-:^&#@##
#@^-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-^@#
@##&@^:-.¨ ¨.-:^@&##@
@&@^-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-^@&@
&&&&@^:-.¨ ¨.-:^@&&&&