~~~~
~:: ::~
=: :=
#@#&*=~:.. ............ = = ............ ..:~=*@#
##@#&*=~:. =: := .:~=*@##
#@#&*=~:.. ~:: ::~ ..:~=*@#
@#&*=~:... ~~~~ ...:~=*@
#@#&*=~:.. ..:~=*@#
##@#&*=~:. 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. ..:~=*@#
##@#&*=~:. .:~=*@##
#@#&*=~:.. ..:~=*@#
@#&*=~:... ...:~=*@
#@#&*=~:.. ..:~=*@#
##@#&*=~:. .:~=*@##