----
-^^ ^^-
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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. ¶%=-^^¨¨¨¨
¨^-=$%%%%@ @%%%%$=-^¨
¨^-=$%@¶@# #@¶@%$=-^¨
¨^-=$%@¶@# #@¶@%$=-^¨
¨^-=%@¶@## ##@¶@%=-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨-==$@ @$==-¨¨¨¨¨