~~~~
~~~ ~~~
*~ ~*
.~~**&§@## ............ * * ............ ##@§&**~~.
.~~**&§@## *~ ~* ##@§&**~~.
.~~**&§@## ~~~ ~~~ ##@§&**~~.
..~~~~*&@@ ~~~~ @@&*~~~~..
.~~**&§@@@ @@@§&**~~.
.~~**&§@## 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. §§&**~~...
.~~**&§@## ##@§&**~~.
.~~**&§@## ##@§&**~~.
.~~**&§@## ##@§&**~~.
....~~**&§ §&**~~....
.~~**&§@## ##@§&**~~.