----
-~~ ~~-
\~ ~\
¨~-\$##@## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ \ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ##@##$\-~¨
¨~-\*$###@ \~ ~\ @###$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$#### -~~ ~~- ####$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$$$## ---- ##$$$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$##@# #@##$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$##@# The River That'S Our River Makes A #@##$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$#### Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A ####$*\-~¨
¨¨¨¨~\\\*# 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 ##$$**\-~¨
¨~-\*$#### Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall ####$*\-~¨
¨¨¨¨~\$$## Behind In Our Duties. ##$$\~¨¨¨¨
¨~-\*$##@# #@##$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$##@# #@##$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$$##@ @##$$*\-~¨
¨~-\*$#### ####$*\-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-*$# #$*-¨¨¨¨¨¨