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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. &&&&&&...&
.&....&&.. .....&..&&
&&...&.&.. ....&&.&.&
.&..&&&&.. ...&.&&&&.
&&.&...&.. ..&&&...&.
.&&&..&&.. .&..&..&&&