~~~~
~-- --~
^- -^
¨-~^*§@@## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ##@@§*^~-¨
¨¨¨¨~~^*§§ ^- -^ §§*^~~¨¨¨¨
¨-~^*$$§§@ ~-- --~ @§§$$*^~-¨
¨¨¨-^^*$@@ ~~~~ @@$*^^-¨¨¨
¨-~^*$§@@# #@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§§@@ The River That'S Our River Makes A @@§§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@@ Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A @@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@# Decent Days Travel North From That #@@§$*^~-¨
¨¨¨¨~^^*§@ 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 @§**~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~**$@ Them All Down In A Frenzy. We Are @$**~~¨¨¨¨
¨-~^*$§@@# Scared Of Him Then. #@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@# #@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^^*$$$§ We Are Then Tasked With Removing Any §$$$*^^~-¨
¨-~*$§@@## Indoor Plant We See. But They Are So ##@@§$*~-¨
¨¨¨¨--^^$@ Beautiful! We Wait Just Until Father @$^^--¨¨¨¨
¨-~^*$§§§@ Comes Home And Until Then We Enjoy @§§§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@@ Them. Sometimes An Animal Will Sneak In @@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~*$§@@## But We Always Shoo Them Out. With Fresh ##@@§$*~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@# Cut Flowers Thrown Right Outside The #@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@# House He Suspects And Resents Our #@@§$*^~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-^^$§ Inaction. But He Doesn'T Have The §$^^-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~^*$§@@# Energy To Scold Us. He Weakens Quickly. #@@§$*^~-¨
¨¨¨~^*$§§§ It Is Not Long Before He Is Still Tired §§§$*^~¨¨¨
¨-~^*$§@@# Even In The Morning And Must #@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§§@@ Reluctantly Leave The Outdoor Weed @@§§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@## Cutting To Us As Well, Untrusting That ##@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@@ We Will Carry It Out. @@@§$*^~-¨
¨¨¨¨~^**$@ @$**^~¨¨¨¨
¨-~^*$$§§@ Now He Leaves As Soon As He'S Awake And @§§$$*^~-¨
¨-~~^**$§§ Falls Asleep As Soon As He Returns. We §§$**^~~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@@ Are Left To Care For Us And The House @@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$@@## And The Orchard. But It Is Hard And We ##@@$*^~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~^$@ Are Distracted. We Are Not As @$^~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~^**$§§@ Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall @§§$**^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@# Behind In Our Duties. #@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@# #@@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$@@## ##@@$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@## ##@§$*^~-¨
¨-~^*$§@@# #@@§$*^~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨~*$§§ §§$*~¨¨¨¨¨