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Speaker 1: Hello friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. I'd like

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Speaker 1: to say hello to Oran and Ethan in Yakama, Washington.

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Speaker 1: Remember to always be kind and that you are loved.

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Speaker 1: Hello to Moshi from Miami, Florida, who is seven years old.

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Speaker 1: And Hello to William Ashoka from Washington, d C. Mommy,

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Speaker 1: Daddy and Ali love you more than you will ever know,

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Speaker 1: and they are so proud of how you tackle hard things.

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Speaker 1: Happy belated birthday to Salah. Happy fifth birthday, Mommy, Daddy,

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Speaker 1: Tita and d D love you so so much, too

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Speaker 1: many years to come. Happy belated birthday to Nora on

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Speaker 1: Hornby Island who turned seven and on January twenty fifth.

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Speaker 1: Love Ella, mom, Dad, Pepa and Posey. They love you so.

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Speaker 1: Happy belated birthday to Olivia Tully from Waukeshaw, Wisconsin, who

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Speaker 1: turned eight on January twenty fifth. You are a great kid, Olivia.

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Speaker 1: Happy belated birthday to Forest from Portland, Oregon, who had

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Speaker 1: his birthday on January twenty eighth, and happy belated birthday

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Speaker 1: to Claire who turned five on January twenty eighth. Happy

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Speaker 1: birthday to Joe from Cochrane, Alberta, who is turning eight

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Speaker 1: on January twenty ninth. Happy birthday to Sadie who is

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Speaker 1: turning nine on January thirtieth, from her mom, Dad and

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Speaker 1: her little sister Claire. Happy birthday to Helen Coots from

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Speaker 1: Round Rock, Texas, who is turning seven on January thirty. First,

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Speaker 1: you are a good kid who is deeply loved by

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Speaker 1: your family. And Happy birthday to Maya who is turning

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Speaker 1: six on February second, Groundhog's Day and to her brother

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Speaker 1: Avery Dog, who turned fourteen years old around January. First.

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Speaker 1: Your mamma loves this rest hour story time with both

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Speaker 1: of you more than you can imagine. In your next year,

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Speaker 1: she will love to watch you continue to grow, being curious, imaginative,

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Speaker 1: clever and kind. Happy birthday everyone, I hope you have

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Speaker 1: a wonderful day for shout outs, birthday wishes, and a

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Speaker 1: touch of extra gratitude. Join us as a supporter. In

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Speaker 1: addition to shout outs, you'll enjoy exclusive stories and an

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Speaker 1: ad free listening experience. Find out more at sleep tight

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Speaker 1: stories dot org slash support. Thank you. Esther and Ariah

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Speaker 1: have made it across the bridge, only to find themselves

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Speaker 1: trapped by scalis and chicaloors. They cannot go back across

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Speaker 1: the bridge, and the way forward is blocked by the creatures.

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Speaker 1: The light from Esther's bag is glowing brighter and brighter.

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Speaker 1: Can it help them to get out of this situation?

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Speaker 1: The Magical Book of Dreams, Part twenty six. As the

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Speaker 1: creatures continue to recoil at the sight of the bright light,

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Speaker 1: time seemed to slow. This gave Esther time to take

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Speaker 1: a breath, and Ariah the ability to take up a

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Speaker 1: better position to support her. Almost automatically, she never thought

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Speaker 1: of herself as courageous, reached into her bag and grasped

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Speaker 1: the glowing book firmly in her hands. She wasn't thinking

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Speaker 1: and was acting on instinct. Time seemed to return to normal,

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Speaker 1: and the creatures, still hesitating, watched as the light from

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Speaker 1: the map enveloped Esther, casting a beautiful aura around her.

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Speaker 1: She closed her eyes, focusing on the warmth and energy

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Speaker 1: pulsing from the map, channeling the good magic that still

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Speaker 1: resided within Ariah. Stay close, Esther said, her voice steady

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Speaker 1: despite the fear that threatened to paralyze her. Ariah recognized

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Speaker 1: the authority in Esther's tone and moved closer, her eyes

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Speaker 1: fixed on the sh shifting creatures, her body at the

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Speaker 1: ready to take action. As Esther held the map out

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Speaker 1: in front of her, the light intensified, growing in strength

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Speaker 1: and brilliance. It began to pulse quickly in rhythm with

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Speaker 1: the racing heartbeats of Esther and Riah, creating a blinding

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Speaker 1: array of light and energy that filled the clearing. The

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Speaker 1: scalis and Chicalores, now visibly unsettled, started to back away,

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Speaker 1: their growls diminishing into uncertain murmurs. Esther took a step forward,

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Speaker 1: the light moving with her, and the creatures retreated further.

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Speaker 1: It was as if the pure magic emanating from the

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Speaker 1: map was a repellent to them. They despised the light,

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Speaker 1: perhaps because it was a reminder of a world they

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Speaker 1: no longer understood or belonged. To keep going, Esther, Ariah urged,

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Speaker 1: her voice, tinged with awe, you're doing it. You're driving

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Speaker 1: them back. Encouraged by Ariah's words and the retreat of

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Speaker 1: the creatures, Esther continued to advance. The map's glow spread

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Speaker 1: across the clearing, sweeping over the ground and bathing everything

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Speaker 1: in its protective light. The Scalix and Chicklares, unable to withstand.

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Speaker 1: The intensity turned and fled into the shadows, disappearing into

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Speaker 1: the canyons. As the last of them vanished, the light

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Speaker 1: from the map began to recede, dimming back to its

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Speaker 1: normal glow. Esther let out a breath. She didn't realize

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Speaker 1: she had been holding, the tension easing from her shoulders.

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Speaker 1: We did it, she whispered, a mix of relief and

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Speaker 1: disbelief in her voice. Ariah, smiling broadly, clapped Esther on

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Speaker 1: the back. You did it, Esther, your magic. It's just

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Speaker 1: as the elder said it would be. It's incredible. With

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Speaker 1: the path now clear and the creatures gone, they continued

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Speaker 1: their journey, the book still glowing warmly in Esther's hands.

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Speaker 1: They moved quickly, partly due to the fear that the

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Speaker 1: scalex and chickalores might return, but also due to the

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Speaker 1: energy they felt from the experience, their bodies still tingling

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Speaker 1: with residual adrenaline. The path up the mountain was arduous,

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Speaker 1: a constant upward climb that would test any but the

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Speaker 1: most experienced climbers. Ester's thin little legs started protesting almost immediately.

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Speaker 1: They walked in silence, with Ester still in the lead

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Speaker 1: and Riah walking behind her. She would sometimes give her

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Speaker 1: gentle nudges to encourage Ester. Other times she would hang

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Speaker 1: back to make sure they weren't being followed. The environment

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Speaker 1: gradually transformed as they ascended. The mountain's lower slopes. Had

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Speaker 1: once been covered in trees and sparse vegetation, with hardy

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Speaker 1: shrubs and twisted trees clinging to the rocky soil. They

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Speaker 1: were now largely transformed into the rock like substance. Ester

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Speaker 1: encountered everywhere. On some parts of the ground, hardy grasses

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Speaker 1: did manage to grow, appearing as they might have before,

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Speaker 1: though their once bright green was muted by the constant gray.

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Speaker 1: The air was cooler here, a welcome relief from the

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Speaker 1: tension filled clearing they had left behind. As they climbed higher,

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Speaker 1: the vegetation thinned, giving way to rugged, exposed rock faces

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Speaker 1: and steep gravelly paths. The trail wound its way up

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Speaker 1: the mountain in a series of switchbacks, each turn offering

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Speaker 1: a new view of the sprawling landscape below. The higher

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Speaker 1: they climbed, the more the unknown realms stretched out beneath them,

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Speaker 1: a tapestry of stone, mist and shadows, with pockets of

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Speaker 1: the once vibrant land still visible in the distance. Esther

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Speaker 1: and Eriah pressed on their pace, steady but slowing as

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Speaker 1: the climb became more challenging. The altitude also began to

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Speaker 1: take its toll. Their breaths came in short, heavy gasps,

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Speaker 1: and their legs ached with each step. Ester's legs were

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Speaker 1: visibly shaking, which had not gone unnoticed by Riah, who

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Speaker 1: would get Esther to take brief breaks with the excuse

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Speaker 1: of needing to catch their breath and have the opportunity

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Speaker 1: to admire the view. The summit was still far above them,

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Speaker 1: a distant point against the sky, as the sun began

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Speaker 1: to dip towards the horizon, casting long shadows across the

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Speaker 1: mountain side. Exhaustion finally set in. They found a relatively

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Speaker 1: flat outcrop of rock with a clear view of the

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Speaker 1: valley below, and decided to rest while Ariah sat down

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Speaker 1: with a hard thump, Esther no longer had control over

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Speaker 1: her legs and simply fell. Esther crawled to the back

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Speaker 1: of the space where they were resting and leaned back,

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Speaker 1: feeling the cool, hard surface of the rock against her back.

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Speaker 1: I didn't realize how much that encounter took out of me,

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Speaker 1: she admitted, her voice quiet and weary. Ariah nodded in agreement,

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Speaker 1: pulling her knees up to her chest. It's not just

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Speaker 1: the physical effort, she said. Battles like that drain you

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Speaker 1: in ways you don't expect. But you were amazing, Esther.

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Speaker 1: You are becoming everything we hoped you would be. Esther

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Speaker 1: smiled faintly. I really didn't do anything. I didn't think.

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Speaker 1: It was completely unplanned. It was almost instinctual, just like

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Speaker 1: when you catch yourself when you fall. You don't have

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Speaker 1: time to think, You just react. Good magic flows through you,

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Speaker 1: Princess Ariah said, before taking a drink from her sack.

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Speaker 1: They sat in silence for a moment, each lost in

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Speaker 1: their thoughts, the quiet only broken by the soft whistling

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Speaker 1: of the wind. The challenges they had faced together had

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Speaker 1: forged a strong bond between them. Looking up at the

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Speaker 1: path ahead, then back at the distance they had covered,

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Speaker 1: Esther started rubbing her legs. We have a long way

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Speaker 1: to go, yet have come so far. I will make

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Speaker 1: these little legs of mine carry me up the side

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Speaker 1: of the mountain. Riah met her gaze. We'll make it,

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Speaker 1: she said. Together. Here I sit my legs feel like

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Speaker 1: soft candy out of breath, and you sit over there

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Speaker 1: looking as healthy and vital as ever. I don't know

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Speaker 1: how you do it, Esther said, looking at Riah with amazement.

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Speaker 1: You haven't shared much of your life. How did you

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Speaker 1: become so strong? Few in Shyrewood that I have ever

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Speaker 1: met could compete with you. There aren't many mountain climbers

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Speaker 1: amongst us. Well, I am tired. Believe me, fear has

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Speaker 1: an amazing way of wearing out your body. When I

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Speaker 1: was younger, I had little choice but to get strong.

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Speaker 1: It was either run or be run over by those

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Speaker 1: annoying chickaloors. Later, I was chosen to be a knight

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Speaker 1: for reasons I am old, only now starting to understand,

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Speaker 1: Ariah said, as she ate more of the weird, sticky

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Speaker 1: food she had in her bag. We didn't have much

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Speaker 1: in the way of activities, fun or running races like

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Speaker 1: you might have in your realm. I can run and

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Speaker 1: hike because if I didn't learn how, I wouldn't have

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Speaker 1: been able to escape the creatures that chased us all.

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Speaker 1: I remember you mentioning that, Hester said, trying to chew

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Speaker 1: and swallow the food Ariah had given her, it had

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Speaker 1: a marvelous effect on her body, but it was really

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Speaker 1: hard to eat. I didn't play much. I trained trained

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Speaker 1: to be a knight, to be strong and fast, to

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Speaker 1: be as fearless as I could, Ariah said, as she

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Speaker 1: looked off into the distance, as if she were watching

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Speaker 1: herself train. His face softened as she paused life. Back then,

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Speaker 1: she began, her eyes distant. Felt like being in a

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Speaker 1: world where every corner was brushed with just a hint

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Speaker 1: of magic. The realm wasn't entirely devoid of color and

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Speaker 1: joy like it is now. In the mornings, I would

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Speaker 1: wake up to the sunlight filtering through my window, casting

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Speaker 1: patterns that danced with the remnants of Gimbal's magic. She smiled, faintly,

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Speaker 1: lost in her memories. In our garden, the flowers still bloomed,

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Speaker 1: not as vibrantly as in the old tails, but enough

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Speaker 1: to bring a splash of color. You could touch them

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Speaker 1: and feel a faint tingling, a whisper of the magic

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Speaker 1: that once was. The air had this subtle sweetness, especially

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Speaker 1: during spring, as if the world was trying hard to

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Speaker 1: remember its former glory. The marketplace was livelier then. There

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Speaker 1: was fear, but people hid it well, the problems were

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Speaker 1: farther away. The artifact's influence was slow, and spreading merchants

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Speaker 1: would sometimes bring in trinkets imbued with little charms. Nothing grand,

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Speaker 1: just small enchantments. A locket that kept its shine, a

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Speaker 1: wind chime that played a soft melody in the absence

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Speaker 1: of wind. We held onto these pieces like precious secrets,

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Speaker 1: a silent rebellion against the encroaching gray. Ariah's expression turned somber,

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Speaker 1: but even then the change was palpable. The colors faded

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Speaker 1: a bit more each day, and the laughter grew quieter.

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Speaker 1: We all felt it, the magic withdrawing like a tide

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Speaker 1: slowly receding from the shore. That's when I knew I

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Speaker 1: couldn't just watch it fade. I had to do something,

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Speaker 1: even if it meant stepping into a realm that was

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Speaker 1: becoming more unknown by the day. I lost my parents

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Speaker 1: a short time later, and Gimbal then became like a

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Speaker 1: father to me. But the elders are not gentle teachers,

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Speaker 1: so I was pushed and pushed even then. They believed

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Speaker 1: you would come, and I have spent my whole life

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Speaker 1: preparing for it. I'm sorry, Ariyah, we have lived such

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Speaker 1: different lives. All the complaints I had living in Shirewood

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Speaker 1: seemed so insignificant, Esther said, looking off into the distance.

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Speaker 1: I almost wish I could go back for your father,

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Speaker 1: Ariah continued for her. Yes, but it seems more than

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Speaker 1: that now. I will do my best to rescue my father.

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Speaker 1: But I am starting to believe that I am a

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Speaker 1: part of something bigger, and I am determined to do

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Speaker 1: my part the best I can, Esther said, as she

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Speaker 1: rubbed her legs, trying to will them into action. You

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Speaker 1: are a part of us and our struggle, Ariah said,

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Speaker 1: getting up to look at the sky, the root they

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Speaker 1: had followed, and the way ahead. How are your legs?

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Speaker 1: Esther tried to stand, but struggled to do so. It

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Speaker 1: was clear that her legs were worn out. They are sore.

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Speaker 1: But I am sure I can continue, Esther said, bravely,

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Speaker 1: trying to hide the truth. I will follow you, Esther,

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Speaker 1: But looking at the root forward, there isn't much in

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Speaker 1: the way of shelter from here until the top, and

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Speaker 1: it's almost night. Walking up this path in darkness is

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Speaker 1: not wise. The Scalex and Chickalore seem to have gone

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Speaker 1: for now, and if they regained their courage. We will

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Speaker 1: want to be physically ready. I suggest we rest Esther

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Speaker 1: tried to stand up but failed. With a weak smile,

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Speaker 1: she said, you are right. Let's sit, eat and sleep.

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Speaker 1: I'll tell you stories about the exciting life I had

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Speaker 1: in Shirewood and you will find yourself bored to sleep,

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Speaker 1: Esther said, trying to get comfortable as she took out

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Speaker 1: the last of the strange tasting food that Ariyah had

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Speaker 1: given to her. Aryah, always on the lookout for threats,

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Speaker 1: sat back down with her back to the wall. I

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Speaker 1: look forward to the distract, Princess, and that is the

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Speaker 1: end of this part. Good night, sleep tights, assass