~~~~
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#@§§%%;~:. ............ ; ; ............ .:~;%%§§@#
@@%;:::... ;: :; ...:::;%@@
#@§%~:.... ~:: ::~ ....:~%§@#
##@§%%;~:. ~~~~ .:~;%%§@##
##@§%%;~:. .:~;%%§@##
###§%%;~:. 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. .:~;;%%%%§
§%%%;;;~:. .:~;;;%%%§
##@§%%;~:. .:~;%%§@##
§%%%%%;~:. .:~;%%%%%§
@%%%;:.... ....:;%%%@
#@%%%%;~:. .:~;%%%%@#