----
-:: ::-
^: :^
###§$=^-:. ............ ^ ^ ............ .:-^=$§###
####$=^-:. ^: :^ .:-^=$####
###§$=^-:. -:: ::- .:-^=$§###
###§$=^-:. ---- .:-^=$§###
###§$=^-:. .:-^=$§###
##$=^^:::. The River That'S Our River Makes A .:::^^=$##
####§=^-:. 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 ....:-=§§§
###§$=^-:. Are Left To Care For Us And The House .:-^=$§###
###§$=^-:. And The Orchard. But It Is Hard And We .:-^=$§###
###§$=^-:. Are Distracted. We Are Not As .:-^=$§###
##§§$=^-:. Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall .:-^=$§§##
###§$=^-:. Behind In Our Duties. .:-^=$§###
##§$$=^-:. .:-^=$$§##
##$^^--... ...--^^$##
#§$^::::.. ..::::^$§#
##§=-:.... ....:-=§##
###§$=^-:. .:-^=$§###