~~~~
~-- --~
;- -;
¨¨¨¨¨¨~^^§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; ; ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ §^^~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~;^§§### ;- -; ###§§^;~-¨
¨-~;^§§### ~-- --~ ###§§^;~-¨
¨¨¨--;^§§# ~~~~ #§§^;--¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~;§§ §§;~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~;^§ 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. ###§§^;~-¨
¨¨¨¨-~;;§# #§;;~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-;^^^§ §^^^;-¨¨¨¨
¨-~;^§§### ###§§^;~-¨
¨-~;^§§### ###§§^;~-¨
¨-~;^^§§§# #§§§^^;~-¨