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The Cave of Treasure _ A Magical Sleep Story · Abide Meditation App

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: and we get sleepy. I'm Tom, your host. Thanks for
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: tuning in. Arif will be reading tonight's story, where we'll
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: be exploring a magical cave with a curious young woman
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: named Aaliyah. You might recognize parts of the story from
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: the classic tale, Alibaba and the Forty Thieves. But tonight's
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: dreamy tale will be a little different. Let's make sure
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  Speaker 1: we're nicely settled for tonight's story. Make yourself comfortable, and
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: when you're ready, take a deep breath in holding at
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  Speaker 1: the top, then gently release the air back out. Find
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  Speaker 1: a pace of breathing that feels natural and soothing, and
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  Speaker 1: just enjoy that calming rhythm for the next few moments.
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  Speaker 1: Often at night, various thoughts can play on our minds
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  Speaker 1: and keep us stimulated and distanced from good sleep. It
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  Speaker 1: can be difficult to know how to deal with and
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  Speaker 1: respond to these thoughts without feeling overwhelmed by them. But
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  Speaker 1: the key is to keep it simple. Each time a
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  Speaker 1: thought pops up in your mind, Acknowledge the thought, but
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: just try saying, not now. By responding with not now,
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  Speaker 1: you're sending a signal to your brain that you've seen
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  Speaker 1: that thought, but this is not the opportune time to
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  Speaker 1: deal with it. So, it can gently float away, like
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  Speaker 1: a cloud. drifting across a blue sky and when you're
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  Speaker 1: better prepared to deal with that thought it will come
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  Speaker 1: back to you during the day so continue to breathe
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  Speaker 1: at a gentle pace and allow your mind to soften
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  Speaker 1: and settle now Invite your imagination to be your guide
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  Speaker 1: as you imagine a sprawling valley. A patchwork of green
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  Speaker 1: blankets the landscape, indicating that this is lush farmland. Our
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  Speaker 1: story tonight begins in a place just like this.
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  Speaker 2: We are in a lovely valley. green with olive groves
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  Speaker 2: that have been here for hundreds of years the trees
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  Speaker 2: don't produce much fruit anymore because they are so old
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  Speaker 2: but they are beautiful with their twisted trunks and branches
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  Speaker 2: there are small farms here in the valley some produce
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  Speaker 2: olives from younger trees Others grow wheat. The valley is
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  Speaker 2: on the outskirts of the kingdom of Waleed. The king
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  Speaker 2: is kind and just, but it's a large county and
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  Speaker 2: not wealthy. Remote areas don't get much attention, which makes
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  Speaker 2: the valley popular as a hiding place for outlaws. Our hero, though,
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  Speaker 2: is not an outlaw. She's a poor, honest, hard-working artist.
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  Speaker 2: Aaliyah lives with her mother and father in Bispis, one
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  Speaker 2: of a handful of villages in the valley. Their cottage
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  Speaker 2: is one room. In the far corner at the back,
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  Speaker 2: is the stove where her mother bakes bread to sell
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  Speaker 2: at the village market. Next to it is the table
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  Speaker 2: where her father weaves baskets, which he also sells. Against
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  Speaker 2: one wall is their big bed, and on the opposite
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  Speaker 2: side is Aaliyah's small bed, which she shares with her dog, Kalb.
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  Speaker 2: It's tidy and cozy, and the family is happy there. Outside,
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  Speaker 2: behind the cottage, is where Aaliyah creates her art. She
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  Speaker 2: loves to carve olive wood that she collects from the
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: valley floor after windstorms. Aliyah believes the twisted branches are
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  Speaker 2: a gift. She thanks the ancient trees as she picks
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  Speaker 2: up the windfall and invests time contemplating the shapes before
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  Speaker 2: carving what she sees trapped inside the wood. While her
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  Speaker 2: neighbors don't have extra money for art, the nearby village
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  Speaker 2: of Bilal is more prosperous. Aliyah borrows her father's mule
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  Speaker 2: and travels there once a month for the arts and
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  Speaker 2: crafts market. Over time, she has become known in the
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  Speaker 2: valley for the quality of her carvings and usually manages
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  Speaker 2: to sell out each month one beautiful summer day a
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: band of thieves rides through Bispis but Aaliyah doesn't pay
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  Speaker 2: much attention it happens so often there isn't anything remarkable
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  Speaker 2: about it they probably are headed to the nearby inn
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  Speaker 2: she thinks It's known for its good food and comfortable beds.
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  Speaker 2: But Aliyah has other priorities. There was a windstorm recently,
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  Speaker 2: and she needs more wood. That's because she has a
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  Speaker 2: special commission. The client owns the flour mill in Bilal,
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  Speaker 2: and is very wealthy. He wants a carving in honor
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  Speaker 2: of his favorite horse. If she can fulfill the commission,
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  Speaker 2: he might bring her steady business and recommend her to
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  Speaker 2: other wealthy clients. Aaliyah just needs to find a piece
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  Speaker 2: of wood with a horse inside she can see. Despite
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  Speaker 2: the outlaws, Aaliyah feels safe wandering the valley's ancient olive
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  Speaker 2: groves alone. The thieves know better than to ruin their
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  Speaker 2: good hiding place by bothering a villager and risking their
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  Speaker 2: attracting the attention of the king. Besides, she has called
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  Speaker 2: for company. Aaliyah walks slowly through the trees, enjoying the day.
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  Speaker 2: The sun is shining, but it isn't hot under the branches.
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  Speaker 2: The light is filtered and softened by millions. of oval-shaped
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  Speaker 2: olive leaves. A light breeze cools her face, and she
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  Speaker 2: smiles as she anticipates many beautiful branches to collect. She
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  Speaker 2: just hopes one will work for her commission. Aaliyah's cloth
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  Speaker 2: bag is half-filled with suitable wood when she hears a
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  Speaker 2: group of horses headed her way. While she isn't afraid
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  Speaker 2: of the outlaws, she knows she shouldn't talk to them.
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  Speaker 2: So Aaliyah calls Cobb over to her and tells him
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  Speaker 2: to be silent. They hide behind one of the largest,
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  Speaker 2: oldest trees, waiting for the group to pass. It's a
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: large band of thieves, at least 40, and each on
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  Speaker 2: a beautiful horse. The outlaws are happy, and Aaliyah can
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: see why. Each horse is laden with heavy bags, filled
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  Speaker 2: almost to bursting with their ill-gotten gains. The group is
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  Speaker 2: a mix of men and women. Each carries a long,
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  Speaker 2: curved sword and a scabbard around their waist. Some have daggers, too.
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  Speaker 2: They all wear loose, comfortable pants and shirts, and they're
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  Speaker 2: not in a hurry. The outlaws keep their horses at
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  Speaker 2: a walking pace as they laugh and joke amongst themselves.
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  Speaker 2: Aaliyah wonders where the thieves could be going with those
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  Speaker 2: heavy bags. There isn't anything in this part of the
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  Speaker 2: valley but old olive trees and a group of rocky hills.
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  Speaker 2: She stays behind her tree as the group comes to
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  Speaker 2: a halt in front of the tallest of those hills.
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  Speaker 2: about 100 feet from where Aaliyah is hiding. The outlaw leader,
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  Speaker 2: or so Aaliyah assumes, gets off her horse and looks
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  Speaker 2: around carefully. Then she walks up to the flat park
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  Speaker 2: of the rocky cliff face, stands in front of it,
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  Speaker 2: and whispers, Aaliyah gasps as an opening in the cliff
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  Speaker 2: face magically appears. Luckily, a horse neighs at the same
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  Speaker 2: time and the outlaws can't hear her reaction. The leader
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  Speaker 2: gets back on her horse and the thieves enter one
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  Speaker 2: by one. as Aaliyah watches in amazement. The opening disappears
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  Speaker 2: and becomes rock again after the last person on horseback
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  Speaker 2: goes through. Aaliyah knows she should take this opportunity to leave,
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  Speaker 2: but her curiosity is too great. She looks down at Cobb,
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  Speaker 2: who has decided to take a nap. Aaliyah chooses to
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  Speaker 2: wait it out. She sits next to Cobb, her back
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  Speaker 2: resting against the tree, still hidden from view. She scratches
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  Speaker 2: the dog's ears, takes a deep breath of the clean,
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  Speaker 2: fresh air and lets her mind wander as the sunshine
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  Speaker 2: and the light breeze put her to sleep. About an
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  Speaker 2: hour later, she's awakened by the sound of horses. The
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  Speaker 2: door has opened and the thieves emerged. Their bags now
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  Speaker 2: hang empty from the saddles. As the last outlaw on
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  Speaker 2: horseback exits the cave, the opening again disappears. The group
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: heads back toward the village inn. Once they are out
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  Speaker 2: of sight, Aaliyah leaves Kalb, still napping next to the
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  Speaker 2: tree and heads to the cliff face she looks carefully
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  Speaker 2: for an opening but there are no lines showing a
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  Speaker 2: door no cracks reveal where the thieves entered she runs
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  Speaker 2: her hand over the grey rock it feels solid She
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: knocks on the cliff face. It sounds solid. There's no
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  Speaker 2: hint that anything is inside except more rock. But there's
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: one thing Aaliyah hasn't tried. She stands back, takes a deep,
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  Speaker 2: calming breath, and says the words she heard the thief whisper.
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  Speaker 2: Open sesame. There is a quiet whooshing sound as the
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  Speaker 2: rock in front of her dissolves, revealing a cave. Aaliyah
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  Speaker 2: looks around to make sure nobody is watching before she
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  Speaker 2: steps inside the quiet darkness. As she crosses the threshold,
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  Speaker 2: Aaliyah hears the quiet whooshing sound again and looks back
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  Speaker 2: to see the cave opening turn into solid rock. She
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  Speaker 2: is now surrounded by pitch black silence. Soon, though, a
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  Speaker 2: soft light flickers next to her and slowly brightens. A
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  Speaker 2: torch on the wall glows with a smokeless flame. She
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  Speaker 2: sees more torches ahead of her flickering on, revealing a long,
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  Speaker 2: wide passage curving deep into the cave. Aaliyah breathes deeply again, once, twice,
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  Speaker 2: three times, to calm herself. She's not completely sure she's awake,
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  Speaker 2: but she knows she must see what's at the end
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  Speaker 2: of the passage. She starts walking, slowly, following the torch-lit path.
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  Speaker 2: The passageway is wide and tall, perfect for people on horseback.
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  Speaker 2: Aliyah notices the air is fresh. There must be an
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  Speaker 2: opening somewhere for ventilation. She wonders how such a cave
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  Speaker 2: could exist without any of the villagers knowing. How long
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  Speaker 2: has it been here? What kind of magic created an
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  Speaker 2: opening that disappears with a simple command? After minutes of walking,
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  Speaker 2: Aaliyah is eager to learn what's at the end of
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  Speaker 2: the passageway. A curve ahead shows she's coming to something
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  Speaker 2: much brighter than the gentle light of the torches. She
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  Speaker 2: starts to breathe a little faster, anticipating what she might find.
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  Speaker 2: Aaliyah comes around the bend and stops. Mouth and eyes
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  Speaker 2: open wide. She has arrived at a huge cavern, filled
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  Speaker 2: with mounds of treasure. To her left, are piles of
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  Speaker 2: golden coins. Some are small and thin, similar to what
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  Speaker 2: she gets for her best artwork. Others are as large
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  Speaker 2: as her palm. She picks up one of the largest,
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  Speaker 2: marveling at its weight, before letting it drop with a
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  Speaker 2: clinking sound back into the pile. To Aliyah's right is
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  Speaker 2: a mountain of jewels. She has never seen a precious
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  Speaker 2: gem up close before, so she can't be sure what
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  Speaker 2: kind each is. But the colors are beautiful, Some are
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  Speaker 2: deep green. Others are bright red. The clear ones, she guesses,
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  Speaker 2: are diamonds. They are cut to reflect light, enhancing their beauty.
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  Speaker 2: She picks one stone up, examines it carefully, and lets
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  Speaker 2: it drop back into the pile. In front of Aaliyah
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  Speaker 2: is a gallery of paintings on easels and sculptures on pedestals.
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: These she takes her time examining. The canvases depict landscapes,
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  Speaker 2: still life, and portraits in deep rich oil paints. They're
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  Speaker 2: held in ornate gilt frames. Each one is a masterpiece.
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  Speaker 2: The sculptures are carved from marble and she marvels at
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  Speaker 2: the exquisite detail. She spends several minutes examining a tiny
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  Speaker 2: carved hand, in hopes of improving her own skills through
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  Speaker 2: this study. There's much more in the cave. Furniture, hand-woven carpets, ceramics,
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: all in their own sections. The cavern seems to go
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  Speaker 2: on forever, but Aaliyah knows it's time for her to leave.
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: Her parents will worry if she's gone much longer, and
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  Speaker 2: Kalb probably has awakened by now and is looking for her.
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  Speaker 2: Aaliyah leaves the cavern and retraces her steps back toward
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  Speaker 2: the cave entrance. The torches dim and then go dark
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: as she walks past. She hopes the magic words will
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  Speaker 2: allow her to leave the cave as easily as she entered.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: When she reaches her destination, the last torch still glowing,
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: Aaliyah says the words, Open Sesame. but nothing happens. She
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: says it again, still nothing. She wonders what to do
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  Speaker 2: next when she hears a deep voice behind her say,
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  Speaker 2: what have you taken? Aaliyah turns quickly, and sees a
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  Speaker 2: huge djinn glowering at her. He floats a foot off
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  Speaker 2: the ground, and the top of his head nearly reaches
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  Speaker 2: the ceiling. He's dressed in loose golden trousers with a
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  Speaker 2: wide silver belt studded with jewels. The djinn's skin is
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  Speaker 2: copper-colored and shimmers. His eyes are black, and over them
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: are thick, forbidding brows. His strong arms are crossed over
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: his chest. Again, he asks, What have you taken? Her
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: eyes wide, barely able to answer, Aaliyah stammers as she
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  Speaker 2: tells him she took nothing. She turns her pockets inside
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  Speaker 2: out and opens her bag to show that she has
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: nothing but olive branches. The djinn is perplexed. His job
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  Speaker 2: is to guard the cave from intruders who want to
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: steal the treasure. He has no idea what to do
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  Speaker 2: with the visitor who comes to look, but not take.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: He asks why she didn't take anything, not even one
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  Speaker 2: small coin. Aaliyah says the cave is filled with stolen things.
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: She can't take even a single item, because then she
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: would be a thief too. The djinn had never met
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: an honest person before. He has always been in service
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: to thieves. This new way of thinking impresses him, and
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: he wants to reward Aliyah somehow. The djinn asks Aliyah
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  Speaker 2: what she wants for herself. She thinks about it for
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: a minute, and then says all she really wants is
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: to go home. after finding an olive branch that she
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: can use to carve a beautiful horse for the miller.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: The djinn smiles at such a simple request. He nods
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  Speaker 2: and tells her to go home. The cave will open
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  Speaker 2: for her now. Aliyah faces the opening, and says the
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: magic words one more time. A soft whooshing sound means
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: the djinn had told the truth. She turns back to
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: thank him, but he's disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: Not wanting to take a chance on the door closing again,
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  Speaker 2: Maybe for good this time, Aaliyah leaves the cave and
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: immediately is greeted by a wagging gob. She can see
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: by the sun's position in the sky that she needs
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  Speaker 2: to start for her village now if she wants to
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: get home before dark. She and Cobb wind their way
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  Speaker 2: through the olive trees. and she contemplates her strange adventure.
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  Speaker 2: A magic cave, piles of treasure, a gallery of beautiful art,
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  Speaker 2: and a gin. she still isn't completely sure she'd been
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: awake and not dreaming. As she walks, lost in thought,
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: Aaliyah's foot catches on a large branch on the ground.
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: She stumbles and almost falls, but catches herself in time.
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: She looks down to see what tripped her. It's the
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: perfect olive branch. She sees immediately that it will become
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: a beautiful horse carving. Aaliyah looks back in the direction
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: of the cave, now out of sight. and sends a
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: silent thank you to the djinn. She now has exactly
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: the treasure that she wants. When Aaliyah gets back home,
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: she helps her father prepare the evening meal. And as
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: the family eats, she tells her parents... about her adventures.
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: They are amazed, but her mother suggests she might have
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: been dreaming while napping under the big olive tree. Maybe,
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: Alia says, but it certainly seemed real. And she did
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: get the exact olive branch she was looking for, a
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: gift from a djinn. The day's adventures have made Aaliyah tired,
• 32:06
  Speaker 2: and she's ready for a good night's sleep. She says
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: goodnight to her parents, each reading quietly by candlelight at
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: the table. Aaliyah gets into bed, pulls up the warm blanket,
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: and rests her head on the soft pillow. Kolb climbs
• 32:38
  Speaker 2: up next to her, curls up against her side, and
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: lays his head on her stomach. She closes her eyes,
• 32:52
  Speaker 2: and envisions the inside of the cave. Aaliyah paints a
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: picture in her mind of the glittering mounds of gold
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: and jewels. She recalls the magnificent paintings and sculptures on
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: display in the lonely gallery. She thinks with kindness of
• 33:22
  Speaker 2: the djinn who rewarded her honesty with the only gift
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: she truly desired. Perhaps she would carve something for him
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: to show her gratitude and leave it outside the cave.
• 33:49
  Speaker 2: She turns her thoughts to ancient olive trees with beautiful
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: twisted branches. She thinks about fresh breezes, dappled sunshine, and
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: quiet walks with Kalb. And then she drifts off to sleep.
• 34:22
  Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you. you you you Thank you.
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 36:37
  Speaker 3: I'm going to take a deep breath in and out.
• 37:03
  Speaker 3: Thank you. you you you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• 39:22
  Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you.