~~~~
~~~ ~~~
=~ ~=
####*§=~~. ............ = = ............ .~~=§*####
###*§=~~.. =~ ~= ..~~=§*###
####*§=~~. ~~~ ~~~ .~~=§*####
###*§=~~.. ~~~~ ..~~=§*###
####*§=~~. .~~=§*####
###*§=~~.. 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. .~~=§*####
###*§=~~.. ..~~=§*###
####*§=~~. .~~=§*####
###*§=~~.. ..~~=§*###
####*§=~~. .~~=§*####
###*§=~~.. ..~~=§*###