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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. ¨~«*§¤####
###¤§*«~¨¨ ¨¨~«*§¤###
##¤§*«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«*§¤##
#¤§*«~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~«*§¤#
¤§*«~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~«*§¤
§*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*§