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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. ,~-/^&§@@@
§^--~,,,,, ,,,,,~--^§
###@&^/-~, ,~-/^&@###
§^^-~,,,,, ,,,,,~-^^§
@@&^/~~~,, ,,~~~/^&@@
§^//-~~,,, ,,,~~-//^§