««««
«^^ ^^«
:^ ^:
&.&&&...&& ............ : : ............ .&&.&&.&.&
.&&..&..&. :^ ^: &&.&&.&&&&
&&.&.&&.&& «^^ ^^« ..&&.&&...
&.&&&&.&&. «««« ..&.&&.&..
&&&...&&.& &.&&&.&&&.
&..&..&.&& 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. .&..&.....
....&..&.. .&&.&&....
....&&.&&. .&.&&.&...
....&.&&.& &&&&.&&&..
....&&&.&& &...&&..&.
....&..&&. .&..&.&.&&