----
-^^ ^^-
;^ ^;
¨^-;%%#@@@ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; ; ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ @@@#%%;-^¨
¨^-;%%#@@@ ;^ ^; @@@#%%;-^¨
¨^-;%%#@@# -^^ ^^- #@@#%%;-^¨
¨^^^^^-%%@ ---- @%%-^^^^^¨
¨¨¨-;;%#@@ @@#%;;-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^^;%@ 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. #@@#%%;-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^;%%@ @%%;^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-;%%#@@# #@@#%%;-^¨
¨^-;%%%##@ @##%%%;-^¨
¨^---;;;%# #%;;;---^¨
¨^-;%#@@## ##@@#%;-^¨