----
-^^ ^^-
†^ ^†
#...#.##.# ............ † † ............ #.#.#.#...
##..###.## †^ ^† .#######..
#.#.#..##. -^^ ^^- ##......#.
######.#.# ---- ..#.....##
......#### #.##....#.
......#... 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. ##...#.#.#
.######.#. ..#..#####
##.....### #.##.#....
#.#....#.. ###.###...
####...##. ...##..#..
#...#..#.# ...#.#.##.