----
-^^ ^^-
=^ ^=
&¨&&&&&&&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = = ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ &¨&¨¨¨¨&¨&
&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨ =^ ^= &&&¨¨¨&&&¨
¨&¨¨¨¨¨&&& -^^ ^^- ¨¨&¨¨&¨¨&&
&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨& ---- ¨&&¨&&¨&¨&
¨&¨¨¨&&¨&¨ &¨&&¨&&&&¨
&&¨¨&¨&&&& 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. &&&&¨&¨¨&¨
&¨&¨¨&&¨¨& ¨¨¨&&&¨&&&
&&&¨&¨&¨&¨ ¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨
¨¨&&&&&&&¨ ¨&&¨&¨&¨¨&
¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&& &¨&&&&&¨&&
&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨ &&¨¨¨¨&&¨&