~~~~
~:: ::~
=: :=
,:~§$#¶### ,,,,,,,,,,,, = = ,,,,,,,,,,,, ###¶#$§~:,
,:~=§$#### =: := ####$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## ~:: ::~ ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## ~~~~ ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶¶# #¶¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## The River That'S Our River Makes A ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$###¶ Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A ¶###$§=~:,
,:~=§$$$¶¶ Decent Days Travel North From That ¶¶$$$§=~:,
,,,::~~§## 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 ##$$=::,,,
,:~=§$#¶## And The Orchard. But It Is Hard And We ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## Are Distracted. We Are Not As ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## Behind In Our Duties. ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## ##¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$$$¶# #¶$$$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶¶¶ ¶¶¶#$§=~:,
,:~=§$#¶## ##¶#$§=~:,
,,,,~§§$$¶ ¶$$§§~,,,,