----
--- ---
/- -/
@@#§§*/--¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ / / ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨--/*§§#@@
@§§*---¨¨¨ /- -/ ¨¨¨---*§§@
#§*//-¨¨¨¨ --- --- ¨¨¨¨-//*§#
#@#§§*/--¨ ---- ¨--/*§§#@#
@#§**/---¨ ¨---/**§#@
##@#§*/--¨ 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. ¨--/*§§#@#
#@#§§*/--¨ ¨--/*§§#@#
##§/----¨¨ ¨¨----/§##
##@#§§/--¨ ¨--/§§#@##
#@#§§*/--¨ ¨--/*§§#@#
#@#§§*/--¨ ¨--/*§§#@#