««««                             
                          «::    ::«                          
                        ^:          :^                        
..:«^*§&@# ............ ^            ^ ............ #@&§*^«:..
...:«^*§&@              ^:          :^              @&§*^«:...
....:«^*§&                «::    ::«                &§*^«:....
.....:«^*§                   ««««                   §*^«:.....
......:«^*                                          *^«:......
.......:«^ 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.           #@&§*^«:..
...:«^*§&@                                          @&§*^«:...
....:«^*§&                                          &§*^«:....
.....:«^*§                                          §*^«:.....
......:«^*                                          *^«:......
.......:«^                                          ^«:.......