~~~~                             
                          ~^^    ^^~                          
                        :^          ^:                        
@###$%:~^¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ :            : ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^~:%$###@
#@##$%:~^¨              :^          ^:              ¨^~:%$##@#
#$%%~^¨¨¨¨                ~^^    ^^~                ¨¨¨¨^~%%$#
####$%:~^¨                   ~~~~                   ¨^~:%$####
@#$$%::~^¨                                          ¨^~::%$$#@
@##%%~^^¨¨ 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 ¨¨^^^^:%##
@@##$%:~^¨ Are   Distracted.   We    Are   Not   As ¨^~:%$##@@
@@##$%:~^¨ Persistent  As Father  And  Quickly Fall ¨^~:%$##@@
#$::~¨¨¨¨¨          Behind In Our Duties.           ¨¨¨¨¨~::$#
#@##$%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%$##@#
@@##$%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%$##@@
#%~^^^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^^^~%#
#%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%#
####$%:~^¨                                          ¨^~:%$####