~~~~
~^^ ^^~
/^ ^/
.....&&&.& ............ / / ............ &.&&.&&.&.
.....&..&& /^ ^/ .&&.&&.&&&
&....&&.&. ~^^ ^^~ .&.&&.&&..
&&...&.&&& ~~~~ .&&&.&&.&.
&.&..&&&.. &&..&&.&&&
.&&&.&..&. 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. .&.&.&.&.&
...&&&&&.. .&&&&&&&&&
&..&....&. .&........
&&.&&...&& &&&.......
&.&&.&..&. &..&......
&&&.&&&.&& &&.&&.....