~~~~
~^^ ^^~
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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. @***%;~¨¨¨
¨^~;%*#@## ##@#*%;~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~%# #%~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~%*#@@ @@#*%~¨¨¨¨
¨^~;%*#@## ##@#*%;~^¨
¨^~;%*#@## ##@#*%;~^¨