~~~~
~-- --~
;- -;
###§*%;~-. ............ ; ; ............ .-~;%*§###
#@§§*%;~-. ;- -; .-~;%*§§@#
@@@§*%;~-. ~-- --~ .-~;%*§@@@
##@§*%;~-. ~~~~ .-~;%*§@##
##@§*%;~-. .-~;%*§@##
#@§**%;~-. 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. .-~;%*§@##
@@*%;~-... ...-~;%*@@
##@§*%;~-. .-~;%*§@##
§§§*%%;~-. .-~;%%*§§§
@§§%%;~... ...~;%%§§@
###§*%;~-. .-~;%*§###