~~~~
~-- --~
^- -^
##@¶@†^~-¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨-~^†@¶@##
¶¶@†~--¨¨¨ ^- -^ ¨¨¨--~†@¶¶
##@@@†^~-¨ ~-- --~ ¨-~^†@@@##
@††^~~-¨¨¨ ~~~~ ¨¨¨-~~^††@
#@¶@@†^~-¨ ¨-~^†@@¶@#
¶¶@@@†^~-¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~†@
##¶@@†^~-¨ ¨-~^†@@¶##
#@¶@@†^~-¨ ¨-~^†@@¶@#
¶@@†^^-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-^^†@@¶
¶@†~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~†@¶
@¶¶@@†^~-¨ ¨-~^†@@¶¶@