~~~~
~-- --~
=- -=
@@§§%*=~-. ............ = = ............ .-~=*%§§@@
###§%*=~-. =- -= .-~=*%§###
##@§%*=~-. ~-- --~ .-~=*%§@##
§%%=-..... ~~~~ .....-=%%§
§*=~...... ......~=*§
##@§%*=~-. 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. .-~=*%%%§#
##@§%*=~-. .-~=*%§@##
##@§%*=~-. .-~=*%§@##
@@%=--.... ....--=%@@
##@§%*=~-. .-~=*%§@##
##@§%*=~-. .-~=*%§@##