~~~~
~~~ ~~~
^~ ~^
.~~^****@¶ ............ ^ ^ ............ ¶@****^~~.
.~~^*$@¶## ^~ ~^ ##¶@$*^~~.
...~~^**$¶ ~~~ ~~~ ¶$**^~~...
....~~*$¶# ~~~~ #¶$*~~....
.~~^*$@¶## ##¶@$*^~~.
.~~^*$¶### The River That'S Our River Makes A ###¶$*^~~.
.~~^*@¶### 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 ¶@$$^^~~~.
.~~^*$@¶## Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall ##¶@$*^~~.
.~~^^**$¶¶ Behind In Our Duties. ¶¶$**^^~~.
....~*$@@¶ ¶@@$*~....
.~~^*$@¶## ##¶@$*^~~.
.~~^**$@¶# #¶@$**^~~.
.~~^*$@¶## ##¶@$*^~~.
.~~^*$@¶## ##¶@$*^~~.