----
-~~ ~~-
;~ ~;
#@@¤$%;-~. ............ ; ; ............ .~-;%$¤@@#
¤%---~~... ;~ ~; ...~~---%¤
@$%%;~.... -~~ ~~- ....~;%%$@
#@@¤$%;-~. ---- .~-;%$¤@@#
#@@¤$%;-~. .~-;%$¤@@#
##@@$%;-~. The River That'S Our River Makes A .~-;%$@@##
##@¤$%;-~. Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A .~-;%$¤@##
@@$$%-.... Decent Days Travel North From That ....-%$$@@
#@@¤$%;-~. Stands Our House In The Middle Of A .~-;%$¤@@#
##@@¤$%;-~ Forgotten Apple Orchard. Our House Is ~-;%$¤@@##
@$%--~~... Built Of Dark Clay And Abandoned By A ...~~--%$@
@@$%;-~~.. Stranger. The Window Has No Glass But ..~~-;%$@@
@@$;;~.... Instead Steel Bars To Keep The Animals ....~;;$@@
¤¤¤$%%;-~. Out. .~-;%%$¤¤¤
¤$%;~..... .....~;%$¤
¤%-....... 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 ....-%%%¤@
¤¤$%-~~... Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall ...~~-%$¤¤
##@¤$%;-~. Behind In Our Duties. .~-;%$¤@##
#@@¤$%;-~. .~-;%$¤@@#
@@@¤$%;-~. .~-;%$¤@@@
##@@¤%;-~. .~-;%¤@@##
#@@¤$%;-~. .~-;%$¤@@#
@@$;;~.... ....~;;$@@