~~~~
~:: ::~
:: ::
###@§$:~:. ............ : : ............ .:~:$§@###
##@§§$:~:. :: :: .:~:$§§@##
@@§§$$:~:. ~:: ::~ .:~:$$§§@@
##@§§$:~:. ~~~~ .:~:$§§@##
###@§$:~:. .:~:$§@###
§§$~...... The River That'S Our River Makes A ......~$§§
§$$~...... Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A ......~$$§
##@§§$:~:. Decent Days Travel North From That .:~:$§§@##
##@§§$:~:. Stands Our House In The Middle Of A .:~:$§§@##
@§§$:::~:. Forgotten Apple Orchard. Our House Is .:~:::$§§@
§§$::::... Built Of Dark Clay And Abandoned By A ...::::$§§
##@§§$:~:. Stranger. The Window Has No Glass But .:~:$§§@##
#@§§§$:~:. Instead Steel Bars To Keep The Animals .:~:$§§§@#
#@§§$:::.. Out. ..:::$§§@#
@§$~:..... .....:~$§@
##@§§$:~:. Around The House Is A Thick, Thick .:~:$§§@##
#@§$$~~~:. Brush Of Ferns And Bushes. There Live .:~~~$$§@#
##@§§$:~:. The Animals That We Fight To Keep Away, .:~:$§§@##
##@§§$:~:. For They Speak To Us To Join Them In .:~:$§§@##
§§§::..... 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 ....::::§@
##@§§$:~:. Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall .:~:$§§@##
#§§§$~.... Behind In Our Duties. ....~$§§§#
##@§§$:~:. .:~:$§§@##
§$~::..... .....::~$§
@§$$$::... ...::$$$§@
##@§§$:~:. .:~:$§§@##
###@§$:~:. .:~:$§@###