~~~~
~.. ..~
:. .:
##@§*=:~., ,,,,,,,,,,,, : : ,,,,,,,,,,,, ,.~:=*§@##
#@@§*=:~., :. .: ,.~:=*§@@#
##@§*=:~., ~.. ..~ ,.~:=*§@##
§*:..,,,,, ~~~~ ,,,,,..:*§
##@§*=:~., ,.~:=*§@##
##@§*=:~., 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. ,.~:=*§@##
###§*=:~., ,.~:=*§###
#@*=~~.,,, ,,,.~~=*@#
##@§*=:~., ,.~:=*§@##
§==::.,,,, ,,,,.::==§
##@§*=:~., ,.~:=*§@##