----
-^^ ^^-
:^ ^:
¨^-:*%¤@@@ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : : ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ @@@¤%*:-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨-::%¤ :^ ^: ¤%::-¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-:*%¤@@@ -^^ ^^- @@@¤%*:-^¨
¨^-:*%%%%¤ ---- ¤%%%%*:-^¨
¨^-:*%¤@@@ @@@¤%*:-^¨
¨^-:*%¤@@# 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. @¤%***:-^¨
¨¨¨¨^-*¤¤@ @¤¤*-^¨¨¨¨
¨^-:*%¤¤@@ @@¤¤%*:-^¨
¨^-:*%¤@## ##@¤%*:-^¨
¨^-:*%¤@@@ @@@¤%*:-^¨
¨¨¨^:*%¤@@ @@¤%*:^¨¨¨