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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. ,&,&,,&&,,
&,&,&&,,,& &&&&&,&,&,
&&&&&,&,,& &,,,,&&&&&
,,,,,&&&,& ,&,,,&,,,,
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