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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. .~«:=%#@##
#@#%=:«~.. ..~«:=%#@#
@#%=:«~... ...~«:=%#@
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