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