~~~~
~,, ,,~
=, ,=
##@#&*=~,, ,,,,,,,,,,,, = = ,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,~=*&#@##
##@#&*=~,, =, ,= ,,~=*&#@##
##@#&*=~,, ~,, ,,~ ,,~=*&#@##
#&*===~~,, ~~~~ ,,~~===*&#
#@&=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=&@#
####&*=~,, 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. ,,~=*&#@##
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*&#@##
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*&#@##
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*&#@##
@&*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*&@
##@#&*=~,, ,,~=*&#@##