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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.          ,,,,,,:~/^
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