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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. ###..##.##
.....##... ...#.#.##.
.....#.#.. #..#####.#
#....####. ##.#....##
.#...#...# ..###...#.
.##..##..# ..#..#..##