~~~~
~-- --~
;- -;
¤@@;;;-... ............ ; ; ............ ...-;;;@@¤
¤@@$$;---. ;- -; .---;$$@@¤
@@#¤@$;~-. ~-- --~ .-~;$@¤#@@
@¤$;-..... ~~~~ .....-;$¤@
@¤$~...... ......~$¤@
@¤¤$$;~... The River That'S Our River Makes A ...~;$$¤¤@
#@#¤@$;~-. Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A .-~;$@¤#@#
#@@@$;~~-. Decent Days Travel North From That .-~~;$@@@#
#@#¤@$;~-. Stands Our House In The Middle Of A .-~;$@¤#@#
@#@$$$;~-. Forgotten Apple Orchard. Our House Is .-~;$$$@#@
###¤@$;~-. Built Of Dark Clay And Abandoned By A .-~;$@¤###
##¤$~..... Stranger. The Window Has No Glass But .....~$¤##
###¤@$;~-. Instead Steel Bars To Keep The Animals .-~;$@¤###
#@#¤@$;~-. Out. .-~;$@¤#@#
¤¤¤@;~.... ....~;@¤¤¤
#¤$$~..... Around The House Is A Thick, Thick .....~$$¤#
@@#¤@$;~-. Brush Of Ferns And Bushes. There Live .-~;$@¤#@@
#¤@@;;-... 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 .-~;;$$¤¤#
##@;;~.... Cutting To Us As Well, Untrusting That ....~;;@##
@@#¤@$;~-. We Will Carry It Out. .-~;$@¤#@@
##@¤@$;~-. .-~;$@¤@##
@@#¤@$;~-. Now He Leaves As Soon As He'S Awake And .-~;$@¤#@@
#@$~-..... Falls Asleep As Soon As He Returns. We .....-~$@#
#@@$~..... Are Left To Care For Us And The House .....~$@@#
#¤$~...... And The Orchard. But It Is Hard And We ......~$¤#
#@#¤@$;~-. Are Distracted. We Are Not As .-~;$@¤#@#
¤@$;-..... Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall .....-;$@¤
##@#¤@$~-. Behind In Our Duties. .-~$@¤#@##
@¤¤¤@$;~-. .-~;$@¤¤¤@
#¤@@$~~-.. ..-~~$@@¤#
#@#¤@$;~-. .-~;$@¤#@#
¤$$;;;--.. ..--;;;$$¤
@¤¤$;-.... ....-;$¤¤@