~~~~
~,, ,,~
/, ,/
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&& ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ / / ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ &&¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨ /, ,/ ¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨ ~,, ,,~ ¨¨&&&¨&¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨& ~~~~ ¨¨&¨¨&&&¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&& &¨&&¨&¨¨&¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨&¨&¨¨¨¨
&¨¨&&&¨&¨& &¨¨&&&&¨¨¨
&&¨&¨¨&&&& ¨&¨&¨¨¨&¨¨
&¨&&&¨&¨¨¨ &&&&&¨¨&&¨
&&&¨¨&&&¨¨ &¨¨¨¨&¨&¨&
¨¨¨&¨&¨¨&¨ ¨&¨¨¨&&&&&