----
-^^ ^^-
\^ ^\
¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨
¨&&&¨&¨¨¨¨ \^ ^\ ¨&¨&¨&&¨¨¨
&¨¨&&&¨¨¨& -^^ ^^- &&&&&¨&¨¨¨
&¨&¨¨&¨¨&& ---- ¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨&
&&&¨&&¨&¨¨ ¨¨¨&¨¨&¨&¨
¨¨&&¨&&&¨& 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. &&¨&&&¨&¨¨
¨&¨¨&¨¨¨¨& ¨&&¨¨&&&¨&
&&¨&&¨¨¨&¨ &¨&¨&¨¨&&&
¨&&¨&¨¨&&¨ &&&&&¨&¨¨¨
&¨&&&¨&¨&& ¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨
&&¨¨&&&&¨¨ ¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨&