~~~~
~:: ::~
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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. .:~:%%¤#@#
##@#%%:~:. .:~:%%#@##
#@#¤%%:~:. .:~:%%¤#@#
@@#¤%%:~:. .:~:%%¤#@@
#%::~..... .....~::%#
#@#¤%%:~:. .:~:%%¤#@#