----
-:: ::-
=: :=
##&&§*=-:. ............ = = ............ .:-=*§&#
&*-:...... =: := ......:-*&
&&§*=:::.. -:: ::- ..:::=*§&&
@##&§*=-:. ---- .:-=*§#@
##§*-:.... ....:-*§##
#@#&§*=-:. 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. .:-=*§@@
#@#&§*=-:. .:-=*§@#
@&§=:..... .....:=§&@
#@#&§*=-:. .:-=*§@#
#§§===:::. .:::===§§#
#@#&§*=-:. .:-=*§@#