~~~~
~-- --~
:- -:
§§¨¨¨§¨¨§§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : : ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§§§§§¨§
¨§¨¨§§¨§¨¨ :- -: ¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨
§§¨§¨§§§¨¨ ~-- --~ ¨§§¨¨¨§¨§¨
¨§§§§¨¨§¨§ ~~~~ §¨§¨¨§§§§§
§¨¨¨§¨§§§§ §§§¨§¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨ 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. §§¨§¨§§§¨§
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨§§§§¨¨§§¨
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§ §¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§ §¨¨§§§§§§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨§ §¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨¨§¨¨¨§§§¨ §§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨