~~~~
~-- --~
;- -;
¨¨¨¨-;§§## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ; ; ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ##§§;-¨¨¨¨
¨-~;=§§### ;- -; ###§§=;~-¨
¨-~;=§§### ~-- --~ ###§§=;~-¨
¨-~;=§§### ~~~~ ###§§=;~-¨
¨-~;=§§§## ##§§§=;~-¨
¨-~;=§§### 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. ###§§=;~-¨
¨-~;=§§### ###§§=;~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~=§# #§=~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨-~~~~=§# #§=~~~~-¨¨
¨¨¨--;;§§§ §§§;;--¨¨¨
¨-~;=§§### ###§§=;~-¨