----
-~~ ~~-
=~ ~=
....~~===§ ............ = = ............ §===~~....
.~-==&&§#@ =~ ~= @#§&&==-~.
..~---== -~~ ~~- #&==---~..
...~===§#@ ---- @#§===~...
.~-==&§### ###§&==-~.
.~-==&§#@# 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. #@#§&==-~.
......-=§@ @§=-......
...~~-=@ @#&=-~~...
.~-==&§#@# #@#§&==-~.
.~-==&§#@# #@#§&==-~.
....~==& #&&==~....