----
-,, ,,-
*, ,*
##.#.#..#. ............ * * ............ ###..##..#
..#####.## *, ,* #..#.#.#.#
#.#....##. -,, ,,- .#.#######
.###...#.# ---- .###......
.#..#..### ##..#.....
.##.##.#.. 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. .#...#.##.
#.##...#.. .##..###.#
.##.#..##. ##.#.#..##
##.###.#.# ..#####.#.
#.##..#### ..#....###
.##.#.#... ..##...#..