----
-,, ,,-
*, ,*
&&&&¨&&¨¨& ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ * * ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ &&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨¨¨&&¨&¨&¨ *, ,* ¨&&&&&&&&¨
¨¨&¨&&&&&& -,, ,,- &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨
¨&&&¨¨¨¨¨& ---- &¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨
&¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨ &¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨
&¨&&¨¨¨&&& 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. ¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨&
¨¨¨&&¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨&&&¨&&¨
¨¨&¨&&¨¨&& ¨¨&¨¨&&¨&¨
¨&&&¨&¨&¨¨ ¨&&¨&¨&&&¨
&¨¨&&&&&¨& &¨&&&&¨¨&¨
&¨&¨¨¨¨&&¨ &&¨¨¨&¨&&&