~~~~
~:: ::~
\: :\
&*\\\\\~:. ............ \ \ ............ .:~\\\\\*&
##@&¤*\~:. \: :\ .:~\*¤&@##
##@&¤*\~:. ~:: ::~ .:~\*¤&@##
#&&&¤*\~:. ~~~~ .:~\*¤&&
&&¤**\\~:. .:~\\**¤&&
#&*~...... 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. .:~\¤&@###
&&&¤\~:... ...:~\¤&&&
##@&¤*\~:. .:~\*¤&@##
##@&¤*\~:. .:~\*¤&@##
@&*~...... ......~*&@
##@&¤*\~:. .:~\*¤&@##