~~~~                             
                          ~..    ..~                          
                        *.          .*                        
....~*$§§# ............ *            * ............ #§§$*~....
...~*$§§#@              *.          .*              @#§§$*~...
..~*$§§#@#                ~..    ..~                #@#§§$*~..
...~*$§§#@                   ~~~~                   @#§§$*~...
....~*$§§#                                          #§§$*~....
.....~*$§§ The  River  That'S  Our  River  Makes  A §§$*~.....
......~*$§ Large  Bend Like  A Scooping Hand  And A §$*~......
.......~*$ 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.          #§§$*~....
...~*$§§#@                                          @#§§$*~...
..~*$§§#@#                                          #@#§§$*~..
...~*$§§#@                                          @#§§$*~...
....~*$§§#                                          #§§$*~....
.....~*$§§                                          §§$*~.....