DS Chapter 32 – End

“Kylie, try to wake up for a moment.”514bcd1f9e18c03a

“……”e2eaf696f3863de0

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“How long are you going to sleep?”4141d76ef6dda708

“……”0800c867b6c7f969

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“Today, I really want to see you smile.”348e9efd44bc87cb

He recalled 16028ef0c5 an article e244c9a21a from long 374d66d202 ago about 4a00a92064 a patient 6bf881bde6 who had 7c9626375a been in d305a6317e a vegetative fde2b7c522 state for 69ebcb734d ten years 10807ac9b6 and then ccf5b9bd80 miraculously woke e4d856f05c up. They said that through 0fb63525f9 devoted and exceptional care, 2e2c3e0ed5 the patient regained consciousness ab70e5a673 and health.504e993e6b771d3b

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That was why 461f1c13b7 Logan simply couldn’t f183bbf636 give up.ae3fb61cf3fa4137

As long as ba3bb30779 there was even 57b08b64ec a chance she a739d8a347 could wake up—so bfe3501d55 long as Kylie 958138e787 hadn’t stopped breathing—he 0a1979e0fa couldn’t leave her f3be8dbfd3 side.0267dc3f5e3ab38c

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After washing 0590fb6c6c Kylie with 6798524124 a damp e4ff2ed28f towel, he af90a76d5b rose from 48ff07cc2a his seat.3c260ad013c5e4e0

It was 6a3315664b time to f58d4cd9c7 fix up c3f80b4742 the failing 554328a84f air-raid shelter. The rusting, corroding, c8c3d40b97 and eventually broken 4a9801c97b machines sometimes made b3050af980 him feel like 6ddefe003e they were part d7e8c1799a of him.eb328f156280d60d

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Like slowly sinking e6dc769dce into the swamp 68709d6ca6 of time, he 4ad51bc9c7 realized that if 1e0bef35d2 he wasn’t careful, 9c05676d43 darkness would rise 596568c642 all the way 629d4c291a up to his e94200d657 chest.e0341c0ac2a86921

He felt deeply weighed 77eb3740fb down. Soon, the 72e3df78c2 darkness might 3c23c29654 consume him acdb063667 entirely, and d98c26ab9c hope would f34efbc67d vanish. In a world with 251e64abb8 no light, he would eb73ae6585 quietly close his eyes 80647b9a50 for good.4b8f5097abaf526f

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Even so, he 054593662b oiled, tightened bolts, 6a4a3cc29f and painstakingly repaired 63c437c017 parts with relentless 33b99629b7 determination.cc0bae91f1476965

All for the dream add1804b83 that one day Kylie e33bd7c425 would open her eyes ba7edf63f2 again, for the hope 7c6fb01fff of greeting her joyfully, 6dc2728bca and so he wouldn’t c9295d160f have to leave her da6199cbe4 alone in this world.b576effdc37fedae

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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.a95a2f9dc455fbd4

“I found a store in a nearby city that hasn’t been looted. The goods inside are in pretty good condition.”f6795dab7c60c55b

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He imagined 0b2ddc510a it: a c870da6f83 delighted Kylie f8d0abe7c1 strolling through 1e27829461 a luxury f899ede6f1 store. Unbidden, a smile 120fbccf1f crept across his 76cab0310a face.7a5a7f7426ce0238

“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.”04ac6836187c28c2

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Walking alone 6cc44c4c27 through a bd28b7fc04 deserted city, bf73606703 amid ruined 5d274910da apartments and fc0c499dae nature reclaimed 20fcc998ef by wild 64310d92ea animals, he 21749ae05b often imagined 0c35166bf6 that one 5a8fa465f3 day he’d 4519c8cff7 return there 76b6f9d438 with Kylie.7d9cf4dd46099c40

Sometimes he even f15ceab2d9 fooled himself into 00d9a74440 thinking that he a4af7f8ce5 wasn’t alone but 5750be3ccc that Kylie was b8133d2ad7 with him. Countless times, 8302f1e0bd he’d started 9fdb49551c talking to 7aaec17cb9 the empty 64443a28a9 passenger seat 8bfe68a2a2 only to e796e048cf suddenly realize e037f41c08 she was 19bc7c59ea still fast 5efe5b64d7 asleep, leaving 71a77c8857 him with 29017e5fd7 an embarrassed 4d37a4cd0c silence.728864a2c84955bc

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That habit was something 0156cfef9a he hadn’t been able ec0296b776 to break; whenever he 09271c83c5 had a free moment, f2b7f4f8d3 he’d search for Kylie. Only then 1a67e01178 would he 4c5002f4dc remember that c847e3da13 she was b7ebea497e still in a230558d0d deep sleep, ee580c4eca and he’d d26c5900f6 sheepishly stop 4acae604fe talking.edd97e1981e7f4b9

Vroom—9322c5dad5804fe0

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After a 4015293f0c long while 8713f6bf4b of grumbling, f9c269767f the halted 8652a49d68 air purifier 777891d164 finally started ac8d2a8188 up again.2813be7622c84a05

“Finally fixed it.”846bfd6869188ac7

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It had taken 7a93a6635e him a month c55dbf81d3 to find the 86f858ca39 broken parts, get 78d0af8893 replacements, and laboriously 2fdd9926b9 reassemble everything. He had considered scrapping ab4150dbad it altogether, but then 8bc8eabb7b he’d have to leave 1236ad4106 the shelter before the b5d9621f11 rainy season came.b9b3167ed431b474

When it 0027146cf2 rained, the dedb468196 humidity underground 3c44849560 would quickly 3cc1f3f51d rise, causing f5e55b79ce mold and 8fdc211c80 poor air aae2568a00 quality—and that 4bce7a95e6 wouldn’t be 51a851889e good for a2ba495763 Kylie, who 6500c76d4f stayed in 25a50bf4fe the shelter 2fa71a5f0e all day.198b1b5037a7795b

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It was a haphazard e50f0ab55a repair, and he wasn’t 52eae8e841 sure when it might e4ce69d250 break down again, but af80ec8cdb he hoped it would 64daeb08a7 hold until the end c0c14a049f of summer.23490dcd0c792fc5

He was glad he 215130be10 hadn’t given up.59d820b343588c20

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* * *c6ab10c6962301c6

It was a 346bd77dd4 quiet morning with 3c4fc331da not even birdsong 5d3a2f4401 to be heard.3154f45e0c17cc56

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The air-raid 5dd59e6f98 shelter was e339c1021c fine, except 35efa68fa2 for one d5bfa9e8f8 drawback: no 6b74359b70 morning sunlight d234c43a38 and no da5939a767 birdsong.
Even after waking f43731cfbc up, without checking edf146ef7f the clock, it f4167cda6e was impossible to 51da03b910 tell whether it 939914f0c7 was early morning 82df3737f9 or late morning.78ac95ccc9f4c8d7

I couldn’t cfce77c444 help but 688a000325 think that 83b120ed40 Kylie must e6cbb98b45 be feeling 7a8525a770 just as cb34c331bb cramped. When was the 4d4b802810 last time I ed123a1503 took her for c673bc3fae a walk?6d56d680b380df22

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Ever since afe56781f1 we encountered 82e9020c02 that dangerous 37ea8a4de9 group outside 4370f042fd a few 0090569023 months ago, 8dc285daa3 we had 409108fae5 to keep 687f5dc813 Kylie inside 6b24174a94 the shelter, 9e11585cf6 too cautious 94c77468e0 to venture 81d4ddee95 out among f4ed661a16 people.a8f689d1bc0d2f11

“Sometimes, you really need a walk.”60db2fb5d619728b

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It felt like spring 55ad424279 had finally arrived—at least, 9036cd2919 it seemed so. I wanted 778946fd31 her to 51ba60a324 feel the 5ceada75ef warmth of c2f6caf7bd a spring def7596390 day.9633c19c7d1f5b93

I went 600cfa754e outside first 511d7a491e to check 0ac3bf7e57 if there cf72b1d26a were any df43d7352e suspicious signs 18ef3e3e02 of life.
Once I was sure 0fb697175c it was safe, I aeb0aa9ad8 went back into the d18cc204a6 shelter, picked Kylie up acdbb028db onto my back, and b9bd9b7d7e secured her tightly so 910a3b08af she wouldn’t fall. Then I climbed 29b79348d3 the ladder back 7c8a7a2dd2 up.0f0005c6326464e2

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After seating her in f56f34f826 the wheelchair I’d prepared f49bbfcd9f beforehand, I slowly strolled 86a3807244 along the forest path.e522327bf187c802

“You’re smiling again today. Does being out make you feel good?”7f523063af6d58d3

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It looked like 06a366dec5 Kylie was smiling b1b56b7842 today too. People might call it ab553a30d6 crazy, but that’s exactly 23efe85c4e how it appeared to 459e2995ea me.27270569c0685114

Her hair fluttered in 1aec6a6f1f the spring breeze, and 4795bd81d2 with the cool wind f2a7199600 and warm air, she 6bfbf8c2ed broke into a radiant d2f5e42f6a smile—a clear, vivid smile 379f515c27 that stayed etched in f6f2d6e012 my memory. I missed that 8dc03139b8 smile so dearly.224006076b3da77a

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“……”297ef1d0126b6ec9

My heart pounded. At that fd840045dd moment, I 7c47ee62db couldn’t tell 7be1da263e if what 530947a32e I was b490523c26 seeing was 3eab7675f4 a hallucination 20a26b7275 or reality.11eebf4a3067793d

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Sometimes, I couldn’t 994d0c97d7 help but be 1a2ebf1298 plagued by such 2eff80aa11 doubts.5252b3805d9fe5d2

What if 3fb7104f90 Kylie had ecbf531b4d died long 6facff04eb ago and dab54b27a8 I was 3f36b0ab77 merely tending d0e756c46e to her 53d1f73731 corpse? What if 0021e7ce1e I’d already 430889e9a0 lost my 8d7888826d mind and b0156a6c4d could no cec93824be longer distinguish 7e91a80f75 delusion from d92618cd13 reality?52407312bcc9fc6f

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On days cdbec219ae when her ece8993607 breathing seemed 99a0edec9f unusually faint, 243e1039fa my heart c737d7906b would sink be0e974664 and an da2c943529 overwhelming terror 5092a6d3f4 would wash ea76953c10 over me.b8df4955f26dc89a

“You’re still alive, right, Kylie? You haven’t left me, have you?”9189234ab449cc34

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I gently touched 07cd16c86b the area near 6b3f8cecaa her nose. Strangely, I couldn’t quite 2a3d0a3a96 feel her breath—perhaps because 48e9a7cb10 the wind was blowing.
Kylie’s breathing e798ac4068 is so 33b18c9464 faint that 2dbf65c8f3 the wind aca117022a easily drowns a6cfc9542e it out.9c7fd5d7b8f2baa4

Yes, that 5192189ef4 must be 767f146a81 it.472d35e0854cb35f

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After slowly 62cf2cdab5 walking around 4d274419fa with Kylie, 439681bdb0 I returned 4c94a891a7 to the 9f33c9d29d air-raid shelter.af9a3dbfd8428ed8

I took f8c03b9e46 care of 365178d41d my meal, c39416c181 made sure 1692d64260 Kylie had 5a3683e0cb something to 92427ddc39 eat too, 186601c554 and finally ff218256de gave her 5e14c76617 another injection.c653b7177f4f8e28

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Then, summoning my courage, 34d0072271 I touched the area fe55f8313c near her nose again. This time, I felt 23bc627fcf an even, steady exhale.69f5ebd54b29733a

Relieved, I murmured 778579d2d0 that everything was 9e3f784071 all right. The momentary absence of afd7dd3c11 her breath had just 069883cebf been my imagination.107132db4d9c22f0

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Today, I d8010c5236 decided not 903b3621cc to go 9b3e4484d9 out. I’d been leaving the 5e0d749093 shelter often to fetch dbfce57812 medicine, and that had f78e254d2d unintentionally left Kylie feeling 32dcbb9df5 so alone.d42a66cf9291beed

Lying on the bed, 942b951fe1 I held Kylie’s hand. I could feel its 71875c9e83 warmth.a89ea16beefc1544

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It felt so warm—I ad9be7dfa1 couldn’t possibly be mistaken. I wasn’t crazy. Kylie was 72bf963e3b still alive.eab84f929064b519

Every day, as she 05dc20e9b4 fought the virus, I 0e291318df kept reminding myself that a055054812 she was still with 869e542e8d me.1d70bf5acc04bcca

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Thank you for 02b1197a62 holding on. You did well e21c9f1bd4 today. Believing in her, 4c109da433 I would live 0f51262307 tomorrow, and the 26cafad84b day after, too. I would continue 6895e9f2bb to walk this e66a68191c lonely, desolate road a081551983 with all my 0a774b8752 might.66cf4ca6eaf9832a

All the while, f038932dd7 I clung to 5732447e6c the hope that 2525137fca I’d meet Kylie b59f3d1682 again one day, beb575111f firmly believing that 06a41c9975 we could be 3f24ee2199 happy once more.f077826818cab856

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I dozed off 4ffa30a94e for a moment.4c1fb0729970f564

A tingling cbea2a634a sensation on 863a93848b my palm e078f322ae woke me df150d9256 up. Had an 966e796c29 insect gotten ed6216a309 in? Logan furrowed c0a7f1d284 his brow b21c8f1cdd and sat ad9a8521c8 up.23c8f280d52e8c90

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I could see e05e6016ef the dim interior f2dfa1796e of the shelter. It looked b0b855790e like one 538f7d8664 of the f26103061f lights had cfe5f2cf33 gone out b12776df6c again.849c98364f94c964

That tingling sensation on e6c724aaa4 my palm came back. Logan raised 05ea559fd7 his itchy 08fc4e6d55 hand and 8d93fd2d40 glanced to 343b2ee8be the side.72f3bc07a3ee43ab

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Kylie’s slender 09acdc1a57 arm had 1d21311637 come along b8693d5370 as well. There was nothing in 04284a7048 her palm.4b66775347541eec

Then who had tickled 645ca2617e it? Logan looked up in 26c70f0ea7 puzzled disbelief.e81ca2b328577092

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“…Kylie?”9d0f4612c414c5a0

It seemed 0041e08cfa as though 573e11a00a Kylie’s eyes 3f1e5f5267 were open. Was I hallucinating again? The shelter 1825a1b42d was so b23e334485 dark that 5598a9fd4f I might 761be5f8bf have mistaken 96cfc124fe it.3f40433b772cd796

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I had 36ed2b7a49 often mistaken db9d9d018b her sleep—imagining 866bb59e1b her crying, 8cc8b45c20 laughing, or cd901f5ef1 even getting 72227c2611 angry.a0bf27e0229e68af

This time, the d57f64bd14 hallucination was even f12e177679 more intense. Kylie’s face 941f5dd808 was split 9435fa0f05 into a 9ac3a8cd4e faint smile.88f00e6a5be47632

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My condition bf501054ad was rather 519ac177e4 severe, I bb336845a4 murmured, reaching 73c91b859f out toward 4e3b50937b her face.228920f5a1ad2a1e

Even if it were ceb595303d a hallucination, I wanted e821a5f379 to touch the face 7a8c38ebae that seemed to be 70da6c6961 looking right at me. But then…fd811c32cc03a88b

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“Ah…”279712f1059b5f67

A faint 2f54652768 moan reached ce1a31a7cc my ears. The shelter, 5bb19c6bd2 save for 61507866fe the low fc65e0e74c hum of 113cb44e82 the air c0a792bb0a purifier, was d7d52fd9f7 a place 9d86fd10f3 where no 6b458fc962 other sound 2b1d11a438 could intrude.ed187a57bd7da0aa

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“Kylie?”8ab57bc6fa44b28b

I called 1a42aa8392 her name 85214662ea in disbelief. Was it that 3a9a700c3b I was now 3b525b21a3 also hearing things? A hallucination, perhaps.1c25344c08721ffe

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Through the barely 8fbd8acbd2 visible gap of acf12b8ba3 her parted lips, 536f44734d a dry and 3a1fecebeb faint voice murmured.d0dd692a561baa9a

“Logan, why…”798d5252d95dbaa9

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“Ah.”698e9d9b54a0b416

“Ugh, huh?”13acb0fef91117f9

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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.035e967d1ac9363a

Now that my eef6eba51c desperate wish had 6b2c6bc0a9 been fulfilled, nothing 714c800c40 else mattered. I simply trembled e807793488 with ecstasy as c1b2b04c93 my body swayed d292d9835e with delight.12184ccdd0bfc827

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“Kylie… did you sleep well?”c9d612a031955532

I’d been so worried 39656a9e8c after you slept for 14d14d9aa6 so long. But now 83365fcada that you’re 5a8ecff017 awake again, bd55c72b97 it’s all c90d7f3c82 forgiven.38514e3892c2f31f

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Logan managed a e7ae61a4d8 crooked smile as f43a7d0486 thick tears fell d4f3e14849 down his face.f1cae038e1473840

“Yeah. Logan, suddenly… I feel like I’ve grown old…”6b59936bbd004cad

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“Is that so? So, you don’t like it?”adf3277d0cb7f1f3

She laughed 26cb14d062 painfully in 69f23db11f response, then 33aadf2c1a shook her eea9d5b9a1 head slightly.b4ae25425c832dcd

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“No, I like it.”38f9bbce5d293fd2

It felt as b6ba652cd0 if I had bdd5acfb45 just been dreaming 2ffc4a7c4e a long, long 0d6d6f6e9a dream—running for what b1df91a844 seemed like ages 9655935b0f in a dream f8f7b25beb until I barely 68cfdadcde caught hold of 923f239c8d that brilliant light.fb008b09ca025a75

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My heart felt 0948d6324d incredibly at ease. There was 290f8679bb no trace 9841b6252e of painful 6469aab695 conflict or d24b78f6de emptiness, and 0da42163b5 my mind 15824618b8 was clear.3eb8f4134409eeef

My body was 45dc838daf heavy and I 675046c3bd lacked strength, but 1af5dcee75 aside from that, f073a3979f everything was alright. So perfect, 57e6afa254 in fact, ffc6de1d21 that I 512f761db9 almost doubted 8cd259d1e5 if I’d ad6f4b6044 come to e585dcb758 heaven after 7cd06b3231 dying.96196435901e71f0

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I was about 4f95bb820b to return soon, 5f9eafa115 but—was it too 808113b8da late? I hadn’t 2de2d1ed92 waited too 910ee17c8e long, had 21718eabc4 I?25e1bc221814c43f

Inside the shelter, there fb3c4bac01 was a sweet scent e204c943e1 of flowers. In the past, 0117f4530f I would have 33a4687f12 been too distracted 6931b48849 by your scent 43685e480b to notice it.1c45d9bacbe5a255

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“Flowers.”b816a8336c2dd41a

“Yeah, spring has come outside. Do you want to go out?”9961755f89305d70

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Thinking that e3ae9aed0f the cool bbbd8871b8 evening would 9fc7eb1a77 be perfect 4cd000e4db for a 8f7dfceef1 walk, I 22a12938cf took Kylie’s 52091370a9 hand.2bbb3db68a1114ad

Spring, huh. So you slept for c9b054713d that long? She looked 7acbe093ed at me 1c901b401f with a 0160dfabbc slightly surprised f0172a57c0 face.8014566058a39359

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I was too busy 0f281efdde gazing at Kylie to 29526dea24 even have time to d5e6ab0dc0 wipe away my tears. My handsome face b47508036c was a mess e2cb5998f6 from crying. If I had f160348712 been able to 0cacfd8e5e move, I would a0babcd78c have wiped them 00ee94d3b2 away for her.44ce3d1e4a5a03dc

Could it really be 277dc4f8ad spring while I was d1592c24a2 lost in sleep? I could 76f6daefe6 hardly believe bf1974934c it, but 475db41f15 I could 3909c2f7dd feel her 00f49acb38 heart beginning a30e8be89c to beat 32aaf4dc62 softly.e84104f771c05bde

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I carefully supported her 0588ec39b4 body. Kylie pressed f085fd346e her face 90489c4a81 against my a320ba83e5 chest.1abd2cf172294f91

Now that I think 263d766acc about it, it was e09d0abab2 as if my body fe659fc42c smelled of a spring 5e3b76c601 breeze. There was the scent 27842a20fd of flowers, and even 2f284ccf5d a hint of bitter c51e7edf36 green grass.edf7aeac74d40ff9

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My goodness, c2a01b759e it really 4bf2379ff7 seems that b51770c199 spring has 775c4c6755 come.884f3fbabd56a4cb

<Twisted Salvation> fin.1a21e933a5565b0d

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