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