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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. ...@..@..@
@..@..@.@@ ....@..@..
.@..@...@@ .....@..@.
..@..@..@. @.....@..@
@..@..@... .@.....@..
.@..@..@.. ..@.....@.