----
-~~ ~~-
\~ ~\
###§%§\-~¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨~-\§%§###
###§%§\-~¨ \~ ~\ ¨~-\§%§###
###§%§\-~¨ -~~ ~~- ¨~-\§%§###
###§%§\-~¨ ---- ¨~-\§%§###
###§%§\-~¨ ¨~-\§%§###
###§%§\-~¨ 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. ¨¨¨-\\§%##
###§%§\-~¨ ¨~-\§%§###
#§§%\~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~\%§§#
§§§%\---~¨ ¨~---\%§§§
###§%§\-~¨ ¨~-\§%§###
###§%§\-~¨ ¨~-\§%§###