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@@$$**:~., ,,,,,,,,,,,, : : ,,,,,,,,,,,, ,.~:**$$@@
@@&*~,,,,, :. .: ,,,,,~*&@@
#@@&$*:~., ~.. ..~ ,.~:*$&@@#
#@@&$*:~., ~~~~ ,.~:*$&@@#
@&&$$*:~., ,.~:*$$&&@
@&&$**:~., The River That'S Our River Makes A ,.~:**$&&@
#@@&$*:~., Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A ,.~:*$&@@#
#@@&$*:~., Decent Days Travel North From That ,.~:*$&@@#
#@@&$*:~., Stands Our House In The Middle Of A ,.~:*$&@@#
&&&&$*:~., Forgotten Apple Orchard. Our House Is ,.~:*$&&&&
#@@&$*:~., Built Of Dark Clay And Abandoned By A ,.~:*$&@@#
@$$**::~., Stranger. The Window Has No Glass But ,.~::**$$@
##@@&*:~., 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 ,,,..~:*&@
@$:~,,,,,, We Will Carry It Out. ,,,,,,~:$@
#@@&$*:~., ,.~:*$&@@#
@@@&$*:~., Now He Leaves As Soon As He'S Awake And ,.~:*$&@@@
#@@&$*:~., Falls Asleep As Soon As He Returns. We ,.~:*$&@@#
#@@&$*:~., Are Left To Care For Us And The House ,.~:*$&@@#
#@@&$*:~., And The Orchard. But It Is Hard And We ,.~:*$&@@#
&&$$*~,,,, Are Distracted. We Are Not As ,,,,~*$$&&
&&$:~.,,,, Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall ,,,,.~:$&&
@@@&$*:~., Behind In Our Duties. ,.~:*$&@@@
@@$:::.,,, ,,,.:::$@@
#@@&$*:~., ,.~:*$&@@#
#@@&$*:~., ,.~:*$&@@#
&$*~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~*$&
##@@&$*~., ,.~*$&@@##