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&,,,&&&,,& ~-- --~ ,,&&&,,&,&
&&,,&,&&,, ~~~~ ,,&,&&,,,&
,&&,,,&&&, &,,,&&&,,&
,&&&,,&,&& 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. &,&&,,&,,,
&,&&,,,&&& ,,&&&,,&,,
,,&&&,,&,& ,,&,&&,,&,
,,&,&&,,,& &,,,&&&,,&
&,,,&&&,,& &&,,&,&&,,
,&,,&,&&,, &&&,,,&&&,