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Speaker 1: Hello, friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. Esther and

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Speaker 1: her family are getting ready for dinner when Esther's brother

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Speaker 1: tells her some surprising news, but asks her not to

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Speaker 1: tell their mom. After they eat dinner and clean up,

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Speaker 1: they get out the book to continue where they laughed off. Gimbal, Selina,

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Speaker 1: and Avara have met up and are making plans about

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Speaker 1: what to do next. The first thing they are going

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Speaker 1: to do is rest. Gimbal heads to the inn, where

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Speaker 1: he has a room to himself and a bath with

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Speaker 1: nice hot water. He cleans up and heads off to bed,

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Speaker 1: planning on meetings and Avara the next day to eat

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Speaker 1: and talk the Magical Book of Dreams, Part nine, Oh,

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Speaker 1: my Kingdom, you have a mess on your face, Esther's

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Speaker 1: mother said to Esther's little brother, Off, you go to

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Speaker 1: wash your face, and don't forget to wash your hands too.

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Speaker 1: I am still extremely starving, he said from the bathroom.

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Speaker 1: Dinner will be ready soon. Esther, please help me carry

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Speaker 1: the iron pot to the table. We are having hot

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Speaker 1: pot tonight, and that pot seems to get heavier each

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Speaker 1: and every year. I should wash my hands as well,

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Speaker 1: Esther said, after placing the pot with a heavy thump.

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Speaker 1: Walking into the washroom, Esther saw her little brother making

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Speaker 1: a mess with water spread all over the floor. Squirt,

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Speaker 1: did you get any of that water on your face?

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Speaker 1: It looks like it rained in here, Esther said, with

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Speaker 1: a look of surprise. She wasn't surprised because he always

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Speaker 1: made a mess. You are exaggerating again, he replied. You

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Speaker 1: will never guess what what? Squirt? I got one hundred

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Speaker 1: on my arithmetic exam, But don't tell mother. She'll make

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Speaker 1: me take more academics next year if she knows I

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Speaker 1: have great math skills. You got that score without bribing

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Speaker 1: the teacher with candy, Esther said, jokingly, of course I'm

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Speaker 1: smarter than you. All you can do is read that

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Speaker 1: silly old book. When I am your age, that book

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Speaker 1: will be easy for me. Okay, okay, I was just joking.

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Speaker 1: Why don't you want to take more academics? If you

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Speaker 1: do well in a certain discipline, you should continue studying

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Speaker 1: to see where it takes you. Working with the town

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Speaker 1: elders at the Knowledge Pavilion would be better than tilling

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Speaker 1: the fields outside of town. That work is hard, But

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Speaker 1: unlike you, I like to grow things, and the elders

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Speaker 1: say it's an essential job for the town. If we

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Speaker 1: didn't have growers and gardeners, we would be limited in

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Speaker 1: what we can eat. That is true, squirt. You still

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Speaker 1: have time, so don't make any hasty decisions. And I

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Speaker 1: won't tell mother, but you really should. She will be

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Speaker 1: proud to hear how well you are doing. Now, off

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Speaker 1: you go, it's my turn to wash up. You should

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Speaker 1: help mother set the table for dinner. She made hot pond.

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Speaker 1: As Esther washed her hands, she looked at herself in

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Speaker 1: the mirror. She and her little brother were very different.

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Speaker 1: He was much more like mother than I was. She thought.

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Speaker 1: He was smart and dependable, or as dependable as a

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Speaker 1: young boy could be. He didn't feel the draw of

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Speaker 1: the outside kingdom like she did, like father had. Her

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Speaker 1: mother's bellowing voice broke her reverie, hurry up, Esther, We

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Speaker 1: are waiting for you to come to the table. Your

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Speaker 1: brother is so anxious to eat that his arms are

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Speaker 1: fluttering like the wings of a dragon. Coming, Esther said.

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Speaker 1: Dinner was as delicious as always, a skill that Esther's

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Speaker 1: mother had developed over her lifetime. If her brother's destiny

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Speaker 1: was to grow the food, than Ester's mother's was to

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Speaker 1: prepare it. The base of the hot pot was creamy

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Speaker 1: milk that the goats so graciously provided. The milk gave

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Speaker 1: the food a slightly sweet flavor, balanced by the heat

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Speaker 1: of spicy peppers from outside of Shirewood, one of the

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Speaker 1: imports that we don't always talk about. There was also

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Speaker 1: a mix of spices that Ester's mother would never tell.

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Speaker 1: The combination of her recipes were always a great secret.

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Speaker 1: The stew was thick and had all kinds of chewy

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Speaker 1: vegetables and fruits from their very own garden. The pot

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Speaker 1: itself had been in the family for generations. It was

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Speaker 1: no doubt infused with flavors from Ester's grandmother's grandmother. After dinner,

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Speaker 1: Esther helped her mother clean up while her brother studied

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Speaker 1: for school. After tea was made, they all sat at

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Speaker 1: the table again silently waiting for someone to say anything.

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Speaker 1: Finish my homework, Ester's brother said loudly as he slammed

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Speaker 1: his book closed. Are we going to read from that

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Speaker 1: silly book again? He asked, Yes, bring it out of

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Speaker 1: your bag, Esther, and open it to where we left

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Speaker 1: off last night. I suggest we keep it short, as

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Speaker 1: we all seem to be more tired than usual. I'm

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Speaker 1: not tired. I am as awake as a dragon freshly

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Speaker 1: awakened from its slumber after a dozen turns of deep sleep,

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Speaker 1: Ester's brother said, as he let out a big yawn.

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Speaker 1: Yeah right, squirt. Esther said, let's keep it short. Esther,

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Speaker 1: her mother said, sipping her hot tea whose rising steam

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Speaker 1: also seemed to be waiting to listen to what came next.

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Speaker 1: Esther opened the book to where they left off before

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Speaker 1: and started. After a delicious dinner with Selina and Avara,

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Speaker 1: I excused myself for the evening and left them to talk.

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Speaker 1: No doubt they would continue into the wee hours of

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Speaker 1: the night. Avara had booked our rooms at a nearby inn.

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Speaker 1: This would be the first time I had a room

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Speaker 1: to myself for many nights, and it felt good to

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Speaker 1: spend some time alone to gather my thoughts about the

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Speaker 1: journey ahead. Perhaps most importantly, this room had its own

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Speaker 1: own hub, which meant I could bathe and wash off

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Speaker 1: ages of dust from my bones. I would have liked

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Speaker 1: to stay with Selina and Vara to share tales of

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Speaker 1: our travels, but though I didn't want to admit it

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Speaker 1: to them, I was drained and needed a rest, We

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Speaker 1: agreed to meet again the next day for breakfast or lunch,

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Speaker 1: depending on how well we all slept. I awoke the

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Speaker 1: next day too late for breakfast, so I decided to

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Speaker 1: walk around the market to see if I could buy

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Speaker 1: something that could satisfy the loud rumbling in my stomach.

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Speaker 1: I felt good, rested, and ready to tackle the day.

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Speaker 1: The market was busy and noisy, with laughter, strange and

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Speaker 1: wonderful music, and whispers from fairies performing magic. As I

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Speaker 1: I walked past the various stalls, the smells of various foods,

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Speaker 1: a blend of sweet and savory aromas, caused my stomach

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Speaker 1: to make so much noise I thought the people beside

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Speaker 1: me could hear it above all the market's sounds. The

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Speaker 1: market was wonderful, featuring a wide array of colors, with

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Speaker 1: ornate stalls adorned with shimmering fabrics, woven tapestries, and hanging

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Speaker 1: floral arrangements. Light sea through canopies overhead formed a beautiful ceiling,

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Speaker 1: casting a soft and enchanting glow on the stalls below.

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Speaker 1: If I wasn't so hungry, I might have wanted to

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Speaker 1: just stand there taking it all in. But I was

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Speaker 1: guided by my stomach and the smell of distant baked bread.

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Speaker 1: As I navigated the crowds, I noticed the diverse array

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Speaker 1: of creatures visiting the market. Gnomes wearing strange pointed hats

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Speaker 1: scurried about books in hand, like they were waiting for

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Speaker 1: someone to ask them a question. Fairies flitted through the air,

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Speaker 1: their translucent wings sparkling in the sunlight. Unicorns trotted about gracefully,

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Speaker 1: somehow not causing any accidents despite their size and speed.

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Speaker 1: The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, again,

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Speaker 1: drawing me further into the heart of the market. I

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Speaker 1: followed the scent, my mouth watering in anticipation of satisfying

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Speaker 1: my stomach's hunger. The stalls in this part of the

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Speaker 1: market were laden with fruits from all over the kingdom,

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Speaker 1: their colors vivid and their scent sweet. There are sparkling

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Speaker 1: platters of dragon fruit, their vibrant pink flesh speckled with

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Speaker 1: black seeds, and succulent leeches with their delicate, translucent skin. Finally,

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Speaker 1: I arrive at a large stall with a large stone

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Speaker 1: oven and order a plate of various breads filled with

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Speaker 1: meat and fruit. I feel like I am in heaven.

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Speaker 1: I walk slower now, eating as I go. At one

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Speaker 1: corner of the market, I find a stall adorned with

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Speaker 1: golden lanterns, where a kind gnome prepares potions and elixirs.

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Speaker 1: Her cauldron bubbles and emits fragrant mists that curl around

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Speaker 1: the air. I approach her, curious to see what magical

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Speaker 1: concoctions she has to offer. She smiles warmly, her eyes

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Speaker 1: twinkling with secrets and wisdom as she presents a potion

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Speaker 1: shimmering with a bright glow. This, she said, is a

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Speaker 1: potion of enchanted soup, made from the rarest ingredients found

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Speaker 1: in all the kingdom. Thirsty from eating bread, I take

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Speaker 1: a sip. My taste buds explode with flavors. I've never

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Speaker 1: experienced a strange combination of starlight and wild mushrooms with

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Speaker 1: a hint of sweet nectar from flower petals. It was

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Speaker 1: very rich, and though interesting, I declined an offer of more.

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Speaker 1: In the distance, I see Selina and Nvara, and though

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Speaker 1: I have just finished eating, I walked toward them to

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Speaker 1: see what their plans for lunch might be. During my

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Speaker 1: walk around the market, I have decided that I will

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Speaker 1: soon continue my journey onward to the town Eldertree, where

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Speaker 1: I hope I will be able to acquire a map

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Speaker 1: that will lead me to my ultimate destination, the unknown

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Speaker 1: realm Selina and Avara. I hope you both slept well,

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Speaker 1: I said, Is that you gimbal You are almost unrecognizable

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Speaker 1: after washing off years of grime. I had no idea

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Speaker 1: your hair was brown, Selina said jokingly. Yes, the bathtub

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Speaker 1: served me well. It made me tired. It was a

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Speaker 1: great effort to make me feel human again. Better than

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Speaker 1: feeling like a dragon, Avara said, unless you are a dragon,

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Speaker 1: Selina added, speaking of dragons, I see a dragon flying

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Speaker 1: down to the market. I asked the dragons to send help,

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Speaker 1: but I wasn't expecting one to arrive so soon, and

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Speaker 1: not with a young bear on its back. Please excuse

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Speaker 1: me while I go and greet them, Avara said, as

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Speaker 1: she quickly walked over to where a handsome young dragon

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Speaker 1: had landed with a passenger on its back. Have you

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Speaker 1: decided what you will do next? Selena asked. I'm sure

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Speaker 1: you could be of use to the community here if

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Speaker 1: you wanted to stay, not just in nursing all the

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Speaker 1: sick or as a healer, but well a person of

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Speaker 1: your experience must be valuable in some way. Haha, you

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Speaker 1: mean a person of my age, Gimbal said, pretending to

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Speaker 1: be annoyed. Well, I hoped I could convince you both

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Speaker 1: to have lunch with me. Then, if Avara has the map,

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Speaker 1: I thought it would continue on my way to Eldertree

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Speaker 1: in hopes of finding a map that would guide me

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Speaker 1: to the unknown realm. Oh Avara didn't tell you. The

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Speaker 1: map she has not only shows a route to Eldertree,

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Speaker 1: but also to Shirewood, where there is a portal that

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Speaker 1: will transport you to the unknown realm. After a short

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Speaker 1: talk with the dragon and small bear, I watched as

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Speaker 1: Avara walked back to where we were standing with a

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Speaker 1: golden map that glowed in the noon light in her hand.

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Speaker 1: The candle on the table started to go out, which

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Speaker 1: prompted Esther's mother to say, I think we should stop

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Speaker 1: there and go to bed. As the light went down,

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Speaker 1: the book itself seemed to glow. Esther had glanced through

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Speaker 1: the book many times but had not noticed that slipped

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Speaker 1: inside the back cover were pages of golden color. Do

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Speaker 1: you see this, mother, Esther asked, Could it be the map?

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Speaker 1: I think it's best. I hold onto the book tonight,

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Speaker 1: she said. But mother, you promised, Esther said, starting to

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Speaker 1: get upset, And I will keep my promise. But we

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Speaker 1: all need a good night's sleep or two. And I

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Speaker 1: know that if you have this book in your room,

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Speaker 1: sleep will be the last thing on your mind. You

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Speaker 1: two are always so serious. I'm tired, glowing book are not.

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Speaker 1: So I am going to bed, Esther's young brother said

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Speaker 1: as he got up from the table. I need my sleep. Ah,

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Speaker 1: you are too small art for your own. Good squirt,

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Speaker 1: Esther said, as she too went off to bed. And

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Speaker 1: that is the end of this part. Good night, sleep

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Speaker 1: tight