====
=:: ::=
=: :=
.....:==*& ............ = = ............ &*==:.....
....:==*&@ =: := @&*==:....
...:==*&@# =:: ::= #@&*==:...
..:==*&@## ==== ##@&*==:..
.:==*&@### ###@&*==:.
..:==*&@## 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. #@&*==:...
..:==*&@## ##@&*==:..
.:==*&@### ###@&*==:.
..:==*&@## ##@&*==:..
...:==*&@# #@&*==:...
....:==*&@ @&*==:....