DS Chapter 32 – End

“Kylie, try to wake up for a moment.”a554a7166fdc3dd2

“……”670c39ba01b2f5cd

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“How long are you going to sleep?”5af7658abaf3aa7d

“……”8e1244b167facddf

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“Today, I really want to see you smile.”2d207269c4a1d467

He recalled an article fe941375c9 from long ago about 22fca43713 a patient who had 4117c4390a been in a vegetative df82aa65b5 state for ten years d2333e640a and then miraculously woke 0f6a42b568 up. They said that through 06e6ff71a9 devoted and exceptional care, 9f54aa5c2e the patient regained consciousness 847149f452 and health.670212089270374a

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That was 3c6d95f87d why Logan dcf729b718 simply couldn’t 3ae1433a2b give up.6043ef9fe535a5fa

As long as c832be0f91 there was even d6c99dc6aa a chance she cedd664531 could wake up—so 3d7fb3d77c long as Kylie 28f7bcf385 hadn’t stopped breathing—he 77db2ed19d couldn’t leave her 0d93783758 side.8b4542fb3ebd5fb4

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After washing Kylie 511528d606 with a damp 842a88ee5e towel, he rose c8dfc61837 from his seat.4180f0b67626c01b

It was a7312e4080 time to 2934f95f44 fix up 08cbec0cc4 the failing a21b44e205 air-raid shelter. The rusting, 58b68a097f corroding, and 49c2043c6f eventually broken 4cc67a6b08 machines sometimes 676970e88b made him 2d53cd8a6a feel like f1e9d9fb7f they were 74e46e4642 part of 09c9dc4f59 him.975c9e26dc98f5f2

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Like slowly sinking into 8079dc5f6c the swamp of time, 233aec00d0 he realized that if e53fff40f8 he wasn’t careful, darkness ecacd105ab would rise all the 0c727557a8 way up to his 6707e19e7f chest.a4d453ebbc1436e5

He felt deeply 3e6a69318c weighed down. Soon, the darkness might e5eced6b20 consume him entirely, and 175d725ddc hope would vanish. In a world 14b4128246 with no light, 08af37aa38 he would quietly afdc5ab62d close his eyes 50e57b2462 for good.8b47ee4a7068e68f

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Even so, he oiled, 20877145ff tightened bolts, and painstakingly cac40617be repaired parts with relentless ef11492a34 determination.0b69fa98d5c9c7ba

All for the a8ed696877 dream that one 021c149be7 day Kylie would 14d4b9f883 open her eyes bd738eecb0 again, for the 009e998249 hope of greeting 45bf768e9f her joyfully, and 0fcd31229e so he wouldn’t 8f581d6bf8 have to leave 2df59380b2 her alone in db7349481f this world.d3778a79f8a77e47

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“If you wake up, I want to take you to that luxury store we never managed to visit before,” Logan murmured to himself as he turned the driver’s wheel. He had grown quite accustomed to talking to himself.0773f7e52fedf4ef

“I found a store in a nearby city that hasn’t been looted. The goods inside are in pretty good condition.”171b21a818d25904

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He imagined it: a 9ad8ecf459 delighted Kylie strolling through 4c59e864ac a luxury store. Unbidden, a ea2cf11068 smile crept e343d83b47 across his 2a4274072b face.a1b3a01c37ab7be9

“I was going to pick up a few things, but I left them there. I thought it’d be nicer for us to look around together later.”9874123bb96514e8

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Walking alone through 694e65910b a deserted city, 5206dbcac2 amid ruined apartments 4c37946176 and nature reclaimed e7d8e79e7d by wild animals, 8bd44ee0c3 he often imagined d5aae20e4c that one day 8e6eac7f2a he’d return there cda7573978 with Kylie.c23c9072bd904233

Sometimes he 91b3c2a11a even fooled 3e4035f969 himself into 351840cb49 thinking that 2621525672 he wasn’t 13bef61b89 alone but 09fdb87784 that Kylie 88d71d50ea was with a6c2e8c79c him. Countless times, 905e30a39b he’d started 0d491d4b13 talking to 353407e66a the empty 488c54a1b1 passenger seat c0478c4502 only to 1ebf7c7211 suddenly realize bbbc2e2a06 she was 5371b53d7d still fast 8d9034d320 asleep, leaving 063038ad9a him with f421721501 an embarrassed 4c8b811894 silence.9c30790ca85e50ad

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That habit e0d3d5e765 was something 6929ab03a4 he hadn’t 4e8a704be6 been able dbcce966aa to break; de8b10eb87 whenever he dd17c871d7 had a bcbafe9b0f free moment, efd1268556 he’d search 640aef2698 for Kylie. Only then 3d383a19b4 would he 5916544b76 remember that 7fa2d4e9aa she was e72dff5087 still in f250f014c0 deep sleep, c86bf826f0 and he’d 464cd8f3fd sheepishly stop f76a5f0c90 talking.b5430a95b395e930

Vroom—c6f65203fa0c304e

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After a 96a2758d0f long while 669ac5ab3d of grumbling, 750ab90e1e the halted d68666e1ee air purifier 7eb3120db6 finally started 766a9dbf98 up again.665ae00f8a2fd23d

“Finally fixed it.”e25b6d8b155464d0

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It had d75cb41890 taken him d6fde8e1e7 a month 95f6b21e50 to find d8ec520bcb the broken 6c73004972 parts, get bfa4dddc51 replacements, and 04d39e3825 laboriously reassemble 859e3eecec everything. He had 4e9ac4cbfd considered scrapping 27311656bf it altogether, 72afe05eca but then 77233ce2c6 he’d have 24328ccfa2 to leave 894deb03f0 the shelter 69d49d09d2 before the ee44c54f7e rainy season 2fa73c5ba5 came.7d5e3c9f8dcc6371

When it ad7c00445e rained, the 1bb4801d59 humidity underground 2d81539951 would quickly 97dba00ea0 rise, causing 6422631d9b mold and c88e086b6b poor air 3e89d89862 quality—and that f23ac3d0d9 wouldn’t be d191016ad7 good for af3529bbf5 Kylie, who 7ae42e561f stayed in 01a23b3c3b the shelter faba459fc0 all day.15781d606e109451

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It was a haphazard b4192cc04b repair, and he wasn’t fb7942c6d5 sure when it might e4a6e20757 break down again, but dc4ff33b08 he hoped it would 48c4c4ca57 hold until the end ed066adf0b of summer.5beedf6d49070399

He was glad he 89bd08502a hadn’t given up.f4a5b2458cdc0ad3

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* * *ff018e37cb577731

It was 23ba0753ef a quiet ab003042f3 morning with 9396fb54df not even dad60700a5 birdsong to 73e321ae00 be heard.47dbaa867308294d

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The air-raid shelter 3e5db261ce was fine, except ca9b155046 for one drawback: 03e2f060e6 no morning sunlight 92998a5cd1 and no birdsong.
Even after 21125c32f4 waking up, 9276d10665 without checking 9e852508d2 the clock, fba0175f51 it was e307b6dc1e impossible to 3ef78d4cb3 tell whether fccce1e636 it was 095134a676 early morning 59c2aa979b or late 916a186d97 morning.438dc1393ae90900

I couldn’t 29570a564d help but 5126768fe7 think that e6729c298f Kylie must e00e1120e9 be feeling 2596c430ba just as 88b8d95960 cramped. When was the b63bfc71e3 last time I 3f1538e315 took her for bd8db986f5 a walk?7227763877b35cfd

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Ever since 38ccfb131a we encountered ba92902d69 that dangerous 347cc1b1bb group outside cb8631a187 a few 55c19235f4 months ago, d62e2a5701 we had fcaa9d478c to keep b453c5a399 Kylie inside 5705ff6bc5 the shelter, e879758f5b too cautious 0280d4e2fc to venture 88989e3bce out among a62ee7ed87 people.f4fee88529d0d433

“Sometimes, you really need a walk.”807be2ca9d50c470

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It felt like spring 0c91ed67f8 had finally arrived—at least, 331eca5de5 it seemed so. I wanted her d5911e85a3 to feel the cd9795024d warmth of a 82521f1acb spring day.6f25b055db54272d

I went f803e75095 outside first b28c6073f3 to check 604f1518e6 if there ef4b634f26 were any 7c73d1feee suspicious signs 577e5f61dc of life.
Once I was 98d2fd032e sure it was 958a1c2a75 safe, I went 5a863a3897 back into the 7c9ef95f01 shelter, picked Kylie 3f2dea6636 up onto my 53c956f75a back, and secured d00692c96c her tightly so c3d752898a she wouldn’t fall. Then I 332f96f234 climbed the a0caa69e81 ladder back fe16b783e3 up.6bd560a13150ead8

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After seating her in c6fc6bbb99 the wheelchair I’d prepared dcb03ab635 beforehand, I slowly strolled 9bdf278b1d along the forest path.228d92f032b973b4

“You’re smiling again today. Does being out make you feel good?”70ac566d9e8b18f4

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It looked like Kylie 05f7785ab3 was smiling today too. People might call 2152354c11 it crazy, but 315daa9491 that’s exactly how e602a3974f it appeared to ffd6932673 me.9ccc1ea8c3cf43f8

Her hair fluttered in 201debf131 the spring breeze, and 3b72e198fe with the cool wind 61d8a7680b and warm air, she 5fa8df4ff7 broke into a radiant 080abb277b smile—a clear, vivid smile 6885c7f2bd that stayed etched in 579119f951 my memory. I missed 732de54e37 that smile 860b4c9daa so dearly.b7b97ed19087aeeb

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“……”f8216b091e896016

My heart pounded. At that moment, a9436a3a6f I couldn’t tell d3d3cf80d8 if what I 0149ad343b was seeing was 9ab1f24bfc a hallucination or 5d19b464c5 reality.47435d17595d3d35

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Sometimes, I couldn’t help cc07e0de5e but be plagued by e7aff1760e such doubts.91bcb10ff0f95086

What if af333ccdde Kylie had 00fad244fb died long 07c826b9d0 ago and 7dfa27b215 I was d6dafc8911 merely tending fbcd442857 to her 9a3b41f6bc corpse? What if 875bdc3e1c I’d already a38fb81da0 lost my a466c9772d mind and 77039be9e3 could no c11bb5b4a5 longer distinguish 2d65b2ab86 delusion from 8ea0ceb9da reality?874adb98cc73c936

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On days when her 241a17478b breathing seemed unusually faint, 16d4d0278e my heart would sink 1cd5f8a32f and an overwhelming terror 4948ab82c4 would wash over me.d09b913f6f783ff8

“You’re still alive, right, Kylie? You haven’t left me, have you?”d6f1a558eb351070

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I gently touched 79236c3e18 the area near 9a552dd015 her nose. Strangely, I couldn’t a19746df50 quite feel her a45a9d53fc breath—perhaps because the d50f48c880 wind was blowing.
Kylie’s breathing ade43e70e1 is so 96d3d7c8c6 faint that e7fdbc42d5 the wind 0ed1e77570 easily drowns 8d28866476 it out.6b54b8469b97a429

Yes, that must be 6b9859102b it.b2fc75676680880a

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After slowly walking around bf092e36b1 with Kylie, I returned 6dce32d704 to the air-raid shelter.6b4f6a43d6cf7174

I took care of 9f10603c3b my meal, made sure 74abcb649c Kylie had something to 6ac538a7ff eat too, and finally 6fa5ed4ca5 gave her another injection.c222fdc425fd3dfd

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Then, summoning my courage, 18d66983c2 I touched the area 1d84de8738 near her nose again. This time, I felt 082fa55c24 an even, steady exhale.9c8d0da74d3aa8ed

Relieved, I murmured 9d48cfbabd that everything was 7dcd93c7f6 all right. The momentary absence of f054661f61 her breath had just ac814e377d been my imagination.bb2eb34ead102b25

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Today, I decided not 619de4eeaf to go out. I’d been leaving the deb6a0ecfc shelter often to fetch 88330a3972 medicine, and that had 4586ca18a3 unintentionally left Kylie feeling a81c8420de so alone.4afedbc92b7cbb50

Lying on 3d44884a32 the bed, 0a0c4d18f7 I held f0c95f7321 Kylie’s hand. I could feel ec67401389 its warmth.a0fa5b450444431d

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It felt so 0758f0e7cb warm—I couldn’t possibly 7158139235 be mistaken. I wasn’t crazy. Kylie was still alive.b59199ade7579ffc

Every day, as she 2c15716fa6 fought the virus, I ff63065495 kept reminding myself that eebaf5d6bb she was still with 0bcf27643d me.58dd35346f82847f

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Thank you for holding 568b82ac5d on. You did well 984f591be5 today. Believing in her, 7a22e83e1e I would live a166bdc895 tomorrow, and the 8b2cda7476 day after, too. I would continue to 65201a1a00 walk this lonely, desolate ce223da9ac road with all my 4a04bda810 might.71e1f9a5a661c6c4

All the while, I df3c116c03 clung to the hope 09f0365f3e that I’d meet Kylie 331afcf401 again one day, firmly 212eec0b6b believing that we could c693a8a466 be happy once more.b4f3ca325096a1f2

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I dozed 9b505dc015 off for 268cdf00a8 a moment.85eadfb0d1fa17f0

A tingling 6983c3c402 sensation on 9fd3b90b6d my palm 801f370e06 woke me dd23a93ec5 up. Had an insect 9e62c920c8 gotten in? Logan furrowed 4546a36bee his brow b7bd247312 and sat cbc3ddf2a8 up.92f64630c6ee4360

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I could see b6154b9534 the dim interior 0612ddc7be of the shelter. It looked like one 419892d6a4 of the lights had dea0754988 gone out again.45e1fc84415f3845

That tingling 759ec94648 sensation on b57cc0b125 my palm 85386000eb came back. Logan raised his itchy eb17753f04 hand and glanced to 1550c6be83 the side.f08d45b089aa600d

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Kylie’s slender arm 762343f917 had come along e431815b2c as well. There was nothing in 7358549853 her palm.9a7a43e2945fd4ac

Then who had tickled 4de1c6eefe it? Logan looked a79c56d1f4 up in a10cede37d puzzled disbelief.df252a3f6381d730

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“…Kylie?”0f8fd099906211c4

It seemed as though 22e3efa89a Kylie’s eyes were open. Was I hallucinating again? The shelter was so 622d5aaeb9 dark that I might ee8cd1bb0d have mistaken it.0c8f972f00c151ef

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I had often mistaken 7666464a2b her sleep—imagining her crying, 1cc863cedd laughing, or even getting d647064068 angry.9339adbf707d8d8a

This time, the hallucination 20a138d0f9 was even more intense. Kylie’s face 3746fc2db4 was split 232ec35212 into a 412e212a14 faint smile.8ab96c7f225e6373

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My condition 4149f1140c was rather 50c9e84b3e severe, I 337babb9e9 murmured, reaching f38133c0df out toward 8e2e5ffc23 her face.6f9a028f0344ef53

Even if it 02f07602a5 were a hallucination, 52f0744560 I wanted to 19a3b69cc4 touch the face 304c010926 that seemed to ec7bf1dbef be looking right da2e392657 at me. But then…8ac7ea13070bebb2

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“Ah…”1ab0109a73ca7aa5

A faint 0d3babce8b moan reached 815a9b36fb my ears. The shelter, 50fc56b58b save for 34759b51e6 the low c47ce40055 hum of 8b0a967cb6 the air 1e831b5106 purifier, was fe84e75a17 a place 146e2570ae where no 87871064b2 other sound 8391428608 could intrude.a9dd0f6cc474f489

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“Kylie?”be4212fee2139b51

I called her name 8d18a76bf5 in disbelief. Was it that I 17a18fa37e was now also hearing 06fd6c4501 things? A hallucination, perhaps.e00e4f49fb0b6c2d

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Through the barely visible e401be14a5 gap of her parted 1034fcab55 lips, a dry and 1c0ab281f4 faint voice murmured.9df8f954a9c1500d

“Logan, why…”ebcf90bed9158540

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“Ah.”5bfc8e7f3e06f1fd

“Ugh, huh?”845b5f44c3236d10

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At this point, even if it was all a hallucination, I didn’t care. I had longed for her to wake up just once.cde7a8c7289d5c02

Now that 67c52cccb0 my desperate bf1677101b wish had 1fc2b0180f been fulfilled, 1e9e0b939b nothing else 7176b8e7c5 mattered. I simply trembled f43e7580bd with ecstasy as 4676eff513 my body swayed 5759de1021 with delight.740284df2329db49

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“Kylie… did you sleep well?”104dad6bf840eb03

I’d been 6b5d7661e2 so worried 7082358abc after you ccc405f46b slept for 0973c3e5d6 so long. But now a2b60dac06 that you’re 32bc11b0bc awake again, 00d509da92 it’s all a3ac05c547 forgiven.c291a7ba127f462b

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Logan managed a crooked d9f9b041c2 smile as thick tears 4cc33ffb79 fell down his face.941fd8f216bd21c6

“Yeah. Logan, suddenly… I feel like I’ve grown old…”bc98ef5390f71ab4

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“Is that so? So, you don’t like it?”0697475b44700b1f

She laughed painfully 238ec33093 in response, then c253cacb44 shook her head 9895df81ca slightly.1901c72a8f82e05f

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“No, I like it.”399e2ecf52d79043

It felt 846f126b5d as if b49776f833 I had 1c2ae3c80e just been b236c3396a dreaming a 77d3d5331f long, long 8cc3e1c011 dream—running for e21b34aa99 what seemed 7f38087ce6 like ages bd9b6db301 in a 5d6328f4b4 dream until d5bfdb5476 I barely 7e0076b190 caught hold 88ac351eeb of that 1ad26b71f7 brilliant light.674a4683a62642ad

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My heart 92e81c19dd felt incredibly 5189258204 at ease. There was no b257db7e8e trace of painful 1d591f3809 conflict or emptiness, df991aa5db and my mind a0194c325b was clear.06bf7b30e0fe90b7

My body was 5029615796 heavy and I 0042e27acf lacked strength, but a3c9bad6a1 aside from that, 00f8f85c5d everything was alright. So perfect, 57302299c0 in fact, 114ddd262c that I 28bbe642e0 almost doubted 28a36e5dbd if I’d 46e9bdcdf7 come to fa46cd1aec heaven after 0849253b1a dying.4c518c17e373ef95

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I was about f6437770d0 to return soon, 1abfd76e4f but—was it too 22f66e6405 late? I hadn’t waited ae1f3d53f5 too long, had 0e93fb58e2 I?71c73d85a8d3a0a0

Inside the shelter, there abd6e2d270 was a sweet scent e3d7184f52 of flowers. In the 9394b2ac54 past, I f348e542d5 would have 09bec655bf been too 6f73f167b9 distracted by 636e8e5508 your scent c0ed578a91 to notice 1a08bc7917 it.6e0a598ff6c86724

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“Flowers.”59e588062b1d8da4

“Yeah, spring has come outside. Do you want to go out?”5d1e2854a1bb0e62

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Thinking that 00215e7e73 the cool 0fbf8d7ffe evening would 5b0c4ee831 be perfect 286843e48a for a 4d4dca1b15 walk, I 809981d47e took Kylie’s 22e7b44449 hand.e18434d2b9414710

Spring, huh. So you slept for c18e517f68 that long? She looked at 5b2224a1c0 me with a 5679512229 slightly surprised face.a4d6912be158f1a1

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I was f7c02fc65b too busy d53dac42fe gazing at 86e0013253 Kylie to 7d8bffce67 even have 765fcaee24 time to d728f79472 wipe away d6768810b8 my tears. My handsome face was 5ba9da2e9a a mess from crying. If I had been c1ed340643 able to move, I b6133fa5a0 would have wiped them a1ac2be743 away for her.2c3c4e1892f605a5

Could it 97e116bb24 really be 4ea6fada2e spring while dc41eece10 I was 5e0fc2399b lost in 14e129495b sleep? I could 0f8a987f5f hardly believe e29b3cffd0 it, but 7b7b4eb697 I could 17aa631788 feel her ff0cbe6a97 heart beginning 41e8834600 to beat 3fcb8a22ef softly.c4a207ec8df91e8e

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I carefully 8475df3a0a supported her 562510554f body. Kylie pressed 650c9c7adb her face 873724507b against my 098ad62c42 chest.e86b9f8883917729

Now that I think 51ddf8cafe about it, it was 609c702eb2 as if my body 26b10eef54 smelled of a spring 7d53f897ee breeze. There was the 7634ec7218 scent of flowers, 5a7d7f456d and even a 4346175dd3 hint of bitter c09dbe72c8 green grass.a1f17906e7b50b7a

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My goodness, d9b8b11e78 it really 3f668d319d seems that c9d551a61e spring has b7e0e1bdd2 come.a6152aff304f9465

<Twisted Salvation> fin.adfb02c7bbc99df7

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