Latest / Abide Meditation App / FAIRYTALE for Sleep_ The Magical Peach ✨ Relaxing Bedtime Story

Transcript

FAIRYTALE for Sleep_ The Magical Peach ✨ Relaxing Bedtime Story · Abide Meditation App

0:01
Speaker 1: Hey, friends, welcome to get sleepy. When we listen, we
0:08
Speaker 1: relax and we get sleepy. My name's Tom, and it's
0:16
Speaker 1: such an honor to be your host. To all who celebrate,
0:22
Speaker 1: I want to send warm wishes of love and joy
0:25
Speaker 1: on this Christmas Eve. I truly hope this festive period
0:29
Speaker 1: is special for you, full of good health and merriment,
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Speaker 1: and of course plenty of well earned rest. We will
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Speaker 1: also have our usual Thursday bonus episode for Premium members
0:43
Speaker 1: coming out tomorrow night on Christmas itself. But first, let's
0:49
Speaker 1: talk about the story coming up tonight. It will be
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Speaker 1: read by Elizabeth and was once again written by Alicia Stephan.
1:00
Speaker 1: The quest for immortality is one that seems to reach
1:04
Speaker 1: as far back as humanity itself. Whether they focus on
1:09
Speaker 1: a relic, a magic drink, or a sacred fruit, each
1:14
Speaker 1: culture seems to have its own stories of those who
1:17
Speaker 1: have sought the divine gift of eternal life. Tonight, we'll
1:23
Speaker 1: be sharing just one of those stories. You'll be taking
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Speaker 1: a magical journey to ancient career where you'll hear a
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Speaker 1: retelling of a fairy tale once collected by William Griffith.
1:39
Speaker 1: This sweet story of young love will unfold in a
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Speaker 1: world of dragons, flying chariots, and palaces in the sky. Now,
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Speaker 1: then get yourself settled in and comfortable wherever you're resting.
2:02
Speaker 1: If you're yet to close your eyes, now is a
2:05
Speaker 1: good time to do that. Gently use your other senses
2:14
Speaker 1: to explore your environment. Notice how the covers are settling
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Speaker 1: down on your body and how they feel against your skin.
2:30
Speaker 1: Are they cool and refreshing or snug and warm. Use
2:42
Speaker 1: your ears to really zone in on my voice, and
2:47
Speaker 1: you may find that that in itself summons feelings of
2:51
Speaker 1: comfort and familiarity, particularly if you've been listening to the
2:57
Speaker 1: show for quite some time. Read Take a long, deep
3:07
Speaker 1: breath in now, enjoying the sensation as the air enters
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Speaker 1: in through your nose, and then let it out with
3:20
Speaker 1: a sigh. Feeling your shoulders dip and their neck and
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Speaker 1: facial muscles relax. Repeat that slow, controlled breath, enjoying all
3:38
Speaker 1: the sensations that come with it. Make sure your jaw
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Speaker 1: is unclenched and your tongue is just relaxed in your mouth.
3:58
Speaker 1: Gradually allow your breathing to return to normal as your
4:04
Speaker 1: body and mind move that bit closer to sleep. And
4:15
Speaker 1: now see if you can picture a world where magic
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Speaker 1: and mortals live side by side, any ordinary human, if
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Speaker 1: they are lucky, might be touched by the divine and
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Speaker 1: invited to a banquet with the gods. This is where
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Speaker 1: our story begins.
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Speaker 2: Long long ago, farther the mortals could reach, there lived
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Speaker 2: a mystical queen. Her palace was situated on an island
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Speaker 2: in the clouds of the western sky. It was made
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Speaker 2: up of all the colors of the sunset and of
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Speaker 2: the waters below. The Queen's kingdom in the heavens was
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Speaker 2: a sparkling round that shimmered day and night, saturated in pink, red, orange,
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Speaker 2: and blue. The Western Queen's dominion was truly a place
6:01
Speaker 2: of dreams. It was called the Island of Gems. As
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Speaker 2: unreachable as it was for humans, her kingdom also seemed endless.
6:20
Speaker 2: Surrounding her palace, which reflected the ever changing images of
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Speaker 2: the sky in the clouds, there was a wonderland of
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Speaker 2: natural beauty.
6:36
Speaker 3: Everywhere one looked. There were lush.
6:41
Speaker 2: Forests, crystal blue waterfalls, and fields waving with bright wildflowers. Indeed,
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Speaker 2: the very trees were magical, jewel toned fruits that grew
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Speaker 2: abundantly on their branches would give longevity and vigor to
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Speaker 2: anyone who ate them. Because of this, all the inhabitants
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Speaker 2: of the Queen's kingdom led an enchanted life. As long
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Speaker 2: as they served her well, they would live indefinitely on
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Speaker 2: the island of gems.
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Speaker 3: Never growing older.
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Speaker 2: The queen kept a flock of glittering as Your pigeons,
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Speaker 2: who acted as messengers to the mortal world. When their
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Speaker 2: mistress was feeling generous, the sparkling blue birds would be
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Speaker 2: given gifts to distribute to the queen's human subjects. If
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Speaker 2: a person was faithful and lucky, they might receive fine clothing, jewels,
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Speaker 2: and other luxuries. Gifts from the queen were a blessing
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Speaker 2: from heaven, borne by the beautiful as Your pigeons, who
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Speaker 2: loved to serve her. The queen also depended greatly on
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Speaker 2: her gentle water dragons to help her carry out her work.
8:45
Speaker 2: These were not the fire breathing beasts that so many
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Speaker 2: of us have become accustomed to hearing about in fairy tales. Instead,
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Speaker 2: they were kind and gentle, and they were also known
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Speaker 2: for being extremely sensitive and intelligent. The water dragons were
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Speaker 2: honored by humans because they assisted in producing bountiful harvests.
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Speaker 2: Everywhere the water dragons flew, they spread valuable rain to
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Speaker 2: make the crops grow for the mortals below.
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Speaker 3: Even better.
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Speaker 2: There was never a dragon rain shower that wasn't followed
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Speaker 2: by a shimmering rainbow.
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Speaker 3: Any human knew that.
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Speaker 2: The approach of one of the Western Queen's dragons was
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Speaker 2: a very good piece of luck, and that happiness would
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Speaker 2: follow in their wake.
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Speaker 3: Of course, no.
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Speaker 2: Human was able to reach the Queen's kingdom without a
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Speaker 2: magical escort. In this respect, the dragons were even more
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Speaker 2: important to adventurous lads and maidens. It was the dream
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Speaker 2: of every young person that they would be handpicked to
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Speaker 2: visit the Western Queen's palace, and that she would send
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Speaker 2: a dragon and a chariot to fetch them. To be
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Speaker 2: granted a ride in an airborne chariot to see far
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Speaker 2: off mountains and forests, and to roam.
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Speaker 3: The wider world.
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Speaker 2: That was the dream of many a hopeful lad or
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Speaker 2: maiden and of privilege. Indeed, occasionally the Queen would hear
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Speaker 2: of a very special youth whom she wished to meet.
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Speaker 2: In such a case, she would dispatch one of her
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Speaker 2: lovely serving maidens along with a faithful dragon to bring
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Speaker 2: the lucky mortal to her. The mighty flying beast would
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Speaker 2: glide gracefully through the skies with the royal chariot behind it,
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Speaker 2: bringing life giving grain in its wake. It would speed
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Speaker 2: many miles over mountain and sea, cloaked in mists and rainbows,
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Speaker 2: to fetch the chosen human.
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Speaker 3: Receive one of the Queen's dragons.
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Speaker 2: Was the secret hope of every ambitious mortal, but it
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Speaker 2: was not a dream that often came true. If chosen,
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Speaker 2: the rare and fortunate guest would then experience the journey
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Speaker 2: of a lifetime in the royal chariot of their gracious
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Speaker 2: dragon escort. Once arriving in the Queen's hallowed halls, they
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Speaker 2: would be treated to such a banquet as they had
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Speaker 2: never before seen. Tales of these grand affairs had been
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Speaker 2: passed down from one human storyteller to another. The distant
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Speaker 2: acquaintance of your grandfather's might have been rumored to be
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Speaker 2: such a lucky guest. For example, the stories of the
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Speaker 2: entertainments they enjoyed and the sweet delicacies they had eaten
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Speaker 2: defied imagination. Although no one seemed to actually meet the
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Speaker 2: lucky person, it seemed everybody knew somebody who knew another
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Speaker 2: person whose distant relation had been to the palace of
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Speaker 2: the Western Queen. So the stories were passed on, and
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Speaker 2: hope burned brightly for many an adventurous song. It just
13:54
Speaker 2: so happened that there was a very promising young fellow
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Speaker 2: named g Ho who discovered he was about to become
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Speaker 2: one of the Western Queen's favored few, And as your
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Speaker 2: Pigeon arrived one day with an invitation that was delivered
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Speaker 2: to his parents. The correspondence inside the elegant envelope informed
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Speaker 2: his mother and father that a serving maiden would be
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Speaker 2: coming for him in one week in a dragon chariot,
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Speaker 2: and that their cherished son would be returned after enjoying
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Speaker 2: a banquet with the Queen. Most parents would have been
14:51
Speaker 2: thrilled by such a missive that his mother immediately became concerned.
15:00
Speaker 2: Her son, Geho, was known far and wide to be
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Speaker 2: one of the smartest, most skilled, and most dashing young
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Speaker 2: men available for marriage. Because of this, his parents had
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Speaker 2: secured him an engagement to a very wealthy and beautiful
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Speaker 2: young lady of their acquaintance. The two were supposed to
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Speaker 2: be married soon. Geho's mother had heard tales of the
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Speaker 2: Western Queen's marvelous kingdom, and she knew that it was
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Speaker 2: filled with lovely maidens and other exotic temptations. Further, she
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Speaker 2: imagined Geho might enjoy his chariot ride with his lovely
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Speaker 2: companion too much, and that he would call off his marriage,
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Speaker 2: deciding to travel the world. What if he never wanted
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Speaker 2: to return to ordinary life in his village. All of
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Speaker 2: these possibilities sat in the back of his mother's mind. No,
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Speaker 2: she was not as pleased with this invitation as she
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Speaker 2: should have been. After all, having a son who had
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Speaker 2: visited the Western Queen was a nice thing to tell
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Speaker 2: the neighbors about. However, it would be much better in
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Speaker 2: the long run to have a prosperous son and an
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Speaker 2: honorable daughter in law who had brought a large dowry.
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Speaker 2: No good mother would deny her son an invitation to
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Speaker 2: the Island of Gems. Instead, she began counseling Jeeho about
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Speaker 2: appropriate behavior. She hoped that if she could prevent him
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Speaker 2: from losing his common sense, she would see him back
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Speaker 2: home safe and sound. Her instructions were these, do not
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Speaker 2: speak to the serving maiden in the chariot. However, beautiful
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Speaker 2: and charming.
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Speaker 3: She may be.
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Speaker 2: Do not allow yourself to be distracted by the temptations
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Speaker 2: on the island of gems. Always remember that you are
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Speaker 2: engaged to be married, and do not bring shame to
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Speaker 2: your family. Geho received all of this advice so obediently
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Speaker 2: because he was a good and responsible son. He assured
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Speaker 2: his mother that she would find no fault with his
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Speaker 2: behavior and not to worry. Meanwhile, the Western Queen reminded
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Speaker 2: her serving maiden to observe strict protocon. Always be dignified
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Speaker 2: and polite. Do not become familiar with the young man.
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Speaker 2: The maiden, whose name was Arah, was to stay on
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Speaker 2: her own side of the chariot and not form any
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Speaker 2: attachment to Jiho. Barra was one of the queen's favorites
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Speaker 2: due to her sweet nature and her conscientious behavior. Of course,
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Speaker 2: she made a commitment to follow all of the Queen's
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Speaker 2: instructions to the latter. On the day of the chariot's arrival,
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Speaker 2: Jeeho waited at the window, dressed in his finest clothing.
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Speaker 2: It's safe to say that very little work was being
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Speaker 2: done in the village at all. In fact, his mother
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Speaker 2: had not been able to keep herself from boasting about
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Speaker 2: the invitation, and every person in town was peeking out
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Speaker 2: of their window. They were hoping to catch a glimpse
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Speaker 2: of the fabled water dragon when it arrived with the
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Speaker 2: Queen's conveyance in the late afternoon, just as the world
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Speaker 2: was transitioning to the gaul An hour, a cool and
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Speaker 2: refreshing breeze blew through the small streets of the village.
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Speaker 2: There was a tangible hum of excitement as every doorway
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Speaker 2: and window filled with eager faces. Then the townspeople all
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Speaker 2: watched open mouthed as the shining dragon landed near Jeeho's house.
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Speaker 2: Behind the noble beast was the richest chariot they could
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Speaker 2: have imagined. It seemed to be encrusted with jewels of
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Speaker 2: every color, and these precious stones winked and sparkled in
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Speaker 2: the sun's gentle rays.
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Speaker 3: Seated on one.
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Speaker 2: Side the chariot, on red velvet cushions, was a maiden
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Speaker 2: of such beauty that she was almost too pretty to
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Speaker 2: look at. Her skin was so clear and her raven
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Speaker 2: hair so shining that she looked like a goddess. All
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Speaker 2: too soon the moment with the dragon was over, Jeeho
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Speaker 2: climbed proudly into the chariot, waved to his parents, and
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Speaker 2: the dragon sprang lightly into the air, floating away with
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Speaker 2: a grave and speed that belied its epic size. The
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Speaker 2: chariot glided smoothly toward the clouds, and in its wake
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Speaker 2: the life giving grain of the water Dragon gently blessed
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Speaker 2: the village with its gifts. When it disappeared, a glorious
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Speaker 2: rainbow spanned the sky, up, up, up into the heavens.
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Speaker 2: The chariot flew. Jeeho was mesmerized by all that he saw.
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Speaker 2: The villages and pastures of his home on Earth grew
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Speaker 2: smaller until they were a patchwork of miniatures delicately running
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Speaker 2: through them. He could see all the silvery rivers weaving
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Speaker 2: their way from the mountains to the sea. Around the chariot,
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Speaker 2: misty clouds gave him the feeling of being suspended in
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Speaker 2: another world. The only way he knew for sure that
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Speaker 2: he was moving was the soft wind rushing past his
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Speaker 2: face and the gentle undulation of the chariot. With each
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Speaker 2: flap of its mighty wings, the water Dragon drew Geho
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Speaker 2: closer to the legendary island of Gems. There was so
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Speaker 2: much to see that he was hardly even tempted to
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Speaker 2: speak to his lovely companion. She, for her part, kept
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Speaker 2: her vow to be silent. She sat politely on her side,
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Speaker 2: with her hands folded in her lap, looking straight ahead. Secretly,
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Speaker 2: she was impressed by how handsome her companion was. However,
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Speaker 2: Geho would never have guessed mad by her grace and composure.
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Speaker 2: In fact, he was really not used to women ignoring him,
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Speaker 2: and he found her a little bit intimidating. This was
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Speaker 2: a new experience for him. Just as the last rays
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Speaker 2: of the setting sun had finished their tour of the
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Speaker 2: world and returned home, the chariot also arrived at the
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Speaker 2: island of Gems. Geho had already discovered more that day
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Speaker 2: than he felt he'd ever seen before in his life.
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Speaker 2: It was almost incredible that the adventure of the banquet
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Speaker 2: still lay ahead for him. Nonetheless, he summoned his most
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Speaker 2: dignified bearing and nodded politely to Aara as other serving
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Speaker 2: maidens arrived to help him out of the chariot. Each
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Speaker 2: and every one of Arra's sisters was a luminous beauty. Nonetheless,
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Speaker 2: Jeho could not help but think that the girl who
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Speaker 2: escorted him was by far the prettiest Arra vanished to
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Speaker 2: tend to her duties, and Jeho was soon preoccupied by
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Speaker 2: the incredible sights and sounds of the palace courtyard. The
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Speaker 2: pretty maidens welcomed him graciously, offering him trays of delicious sweets.
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Speaker 2: One girl in a glistening blue robe handed him an
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Speaker 2: elegant glass full of a sweet scented drink that bubbled lightly.
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Speaker 2: Geeho took a sip. It was the best tasting drink
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Speaker 2: he had ever had. His mouth filled with the taste
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Speaker 2: of a thousand different fruits, and he felt oddly energized,
26:48
Speaker 2: as if waking to the beauty of a world he
26:52
Speaker 2: had never before seen. In fact, as he strolled through
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Speaker 2: the vibrant gardens of this palace, nibbling on the treats
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Speaker 2: he was offered, he had the odd sense that something
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Speaker 2: wonderful was happening to him. With each bite, every delicacy
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Speaker 2: had a different flavor and a different positive effect on him.
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Speaker 2: He felt more clear headed, smarter, funnier, or more peaceful.
27:34
Speaker 2: Depending on which food he had taken, one might be red,
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Speaker 2: another green, and another yellow. It might taste of apples,
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Speaker 2: of grapes, or of bananas. Some of the little treats
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Speaker 2: were delicious in ways he couldn't even identify. All he
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Speaker 2: knew was that he felt more marvelous. With each passing moment.
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Speaker 2: The world around him became the most vibrant place he
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Speaker 2: had ever seen. Enveloped in this haze of delight, Jeeho
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Speaker 2: lost track of the time. He felt he could stay
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Speaker 2: in this garden forever. Alas another lovely maiden appeared in
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Speaker 2: his path with a polite bow, she invited him to
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Speaker 2: follow her to the banquet room. Jeho could hardly imagine
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Speaker 2: what better delights might await, but he eagerly followed her
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Speaker 2: into the palace. They walked down a vast hallway with
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Speaker 2: an impossibly tall ceiling far above his head. As your
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Speaker 2: pigeons soared gracefully from one end of the ceiling to
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Speaker 2: the other, he felt that he was almost as much
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Speaker 2: outdoors as he was in. The maiden pushed open a
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Speaker 2: grand set of double doors, motioning for him to enter.
29:40
Speaker 2: When he walked into the banquet room, he didn't know
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Speaker 2: what to look at first. At the head of the
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Speaker 2: room was a long table. Numerous people sat there, dressed
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Speaker 2: in their fine clothing. Although the styles of dress varied
30:04
Speaker 2: he could see that these guests were collected from near
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Speaker 2: and far. A sumptuous feast was lay before them, and
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Speaker 2: they delightedly partook of one heaping platter after another, as
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Speaker 2: the beautiful maidens of the palace removed empty dishes and
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Speaker 2: replaced them with new ones. The serving maids themselves wore
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Speaker 2: the most beautiful robes he had ever seen, as if
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Speaker 2: to reflect each color of the rainbow. The dresses glittered
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Speaker 2: in gauzy pinks, blues, oranges, greens, and purples. Like dancers
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Speaker 2: in an enchanting ballet. These maidens of the sky seemed
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Speaker 2: almost to float as they made their rounds ensuring that
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Speaker 2: each and every guest had what they most wanted. The
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Speaker 2: walls of the banquet hall were decorated with gold flourishes
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Speaker 2: and drape with rich fabrics. Looking up, Jeeho could not
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Speaker 2: even see the ceiling. Instead, he could swear he was
31:42
Speaker 2: looking at the clearest night sky he had ever seen,
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Speaker 2: as if the palace were above the clouds. Not even
31:53
Speaker 2: a tiny bit of vapor blocked the view of the
31:57
Speaker 2: sparkling heavens, which were blaze with stars, adding to the
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Speaker 2: feeling of tranquility and beauty. The entrancing strains of a
32:12
Speaker 2: heart floated through the room, playing a lovely melody. Geeho
32:21
Speaker 2: settled happily into his cushioned seat, gladly accepting something from
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Speaker 2: every serving dish that was offered to him. As he
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Speaker 2: did so, he once again spied the lovely girl who
32:41
Speaker 2: had escorted him in the chariot. She was draped in
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Speaker 2: an ethereal rose colored gown, and her jet black hair
32:55
Speaker 2: was piled on her head secured with a gem studded come.
33:02
Speaker 2: As she moved around the room, he could have sworn
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Speaker 2: he saw her peeking at him from the corner of
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Speaker 2: her eye. She may have done so, or it might
33:16
Speaker 2: have been the euphoria he was experiencing from the magical food.
33:23
Speaker 2: Either way, he could not stop trying to catch her gaze.
33:31
Speaker 2: His mother's advice seemed a distant memory. Jeho's appetite didn't
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Speaker 2: wane no matter how many foods he tried. He still
33:46
Speaker 2: hungered for the next treat. When a diamond encrusted plate
33:53
Speaker 2: appeared holding a small mound of the most beautiful peaches
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Speaker 2: he'd ever seen, he accepted one. He carefully pared the
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Speaker 2: fruit and began to eat it. And this peach Compared
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Speaker 2: to every other food he had enjoyed thus far, it
34:21
Speaker 2: was superior. As he hungrily consumed the entire fruit, he
34:30
Speaker 2: marveled at its perfect texture and flavor, But he also
34:38
Speaker 2: felt himself filled with a surge of vitality and health.
34:46
Speaker 2: Somehow he knew that the peach was giving him the
34:52
Speaker 2: gift of unusual longevity. He sensed that with each bite
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Speaker 2: he was gaining another year to explore far off lands,
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Speaker 2: another year to realize his dreams, another year to make
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Speaker 2: his mark on the world. As he finished the last
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Speaker 2: slice of the peach, he looked up and locked eyes
35:27
Speaker 2: with the object of his admiration forgetting every promise he'd
35:34
Speaker 2: made to his mother. He eagerly introduced himself to the girl.
35:41
Speaker 2: He was soaring high on the promises of the magic
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Speaker 2: fruits and hoping she would respond, He asked her what
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Speaker 2: her name was. She did not respond to him. Conscious
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Speaker 2: of her duty and of the Queen's rules, she cast
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Speaker 2: her eyes downward and blushed lightly. Jeho felt a flash
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Speaker 2: of disappointment that he was determined to make an impression
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Speaker 2: on this woman who stood before him. As Ara began
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Speaker 2: to clear his empty plate, he impulsively picked up another
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Speaker 2: of the marvelous peaches and tossed it in her direction
36:34
Speaker 2: like a ball. Without thinking, Aara reached out and caught
36:43
Speaker 2: the peach in her hand. Then, losing her judgment in
36:49
Speaker 2: the face of Geho's charm, she did the unthinkable. She
36:56
Speaker 2: took a bite of the enchanted fruit. Having swallowed it,
37:04
Speaker 2: she felt bold enough to tell him what her name was.
37:09
Speaker 2: Even as the girl felt a burst of vitality course
37:14
Speaker 2: through her, she knew she had made a grave error.
37:20
Speaker 2: The spell of the moment was broken. As she looked
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Speaker 2: around the room. Every other serving maid was looking at
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Speaker 2: her wide eyed, for they had never seen one of
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Speaker 2: their sisters make such a mistake. To live on the
37:41
Speaker 2: island of Gems was a sacred privilege, and the code
37:47
Speaker 2: of conduct was iron clad. Ara had crossed a line
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Speaker 2: that none of them had ever crossed before. She had
37:58
Speaker 2: fraternized with a mortal guest. But then the music of
38:06
Speaker 2: the harp stopped, and he realized that first the maids,
38:13
Speaker 2: then the guests were looking at him, and at the
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Speaker 2: lovely maiden he had so wished to meet. Even through
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Speaker 2: the veil of enchantment wrought by the banquet, he realized
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Speaker 2: what he had done. At that moment, it was as
38:34
Speaker 2: if a heavy mist fell over the entire room. Within seconds,
38:43
Speaker 2: Jeeho could no longer see the dinner, his fellow guests,
38:49
Speaker 2: or the servers. He did not know what happened after that,
38:56
Speaker 2: but he opened his eyes and found himself at home
39:02
Speaker 2: on his own doorstep, just like that. So it was
39:11
Speaker 2: that the proud young fellow who had left in a
39:15
Speaker 2: dragon chariot full of excitement, found himself at the end
39:21
Speaker 2: of his adventure rather suddenly. His parents and the neighbors
39:29
Speaker 2: begged for stories and details about the Island of Gems,
39:35
Speaker 2: but he hadn't the heart to tell them of its marvels.
39:40
Speaker 2: He closed himself inside his room and began to pine.
39:48
Speaker 2: As it turned out, the forbidding connection he had made
39:52
Speaker 2: with the serving maid could not truly be severed. Now
40:00
Speaker 2: he was separated from her, but unable to forget their meeting,
40:07
Speaker 2: he was fixated on dreaming of what could have been.
40:13
Speaker 2: Geho sank into a deep melancholy. He refused all but
40:20
Speaker 2: the most basic meals, abandoned his studies, and became gloomy
40:29
Speaker 2: and useless. Words spread of the change in his character,
40:36
Speaker 2: and upon hearing of it, the parents of his future
40:40
Speaker 2: bride broke off the engagement. Jeho's parents were very displeased,
40:49
Speaker 2: but he didn't care much. He was too smissen by
40:54
Speaker 2: the lovely girl he'd met on the island of Gems.
41:00
Speaker 2: Geeho's sad behavior persisted for a year. Finally, knowing he
41:09
Speaker 2: had to make sense of his life without Ara, he
41:14
Speaker 2: packed a bag and bid his parents farewell. He was
41:21
Speaker 2: determined to begin traveling. He wasn't sure what he expected
41:27
Speaker 2: to find, but he knew he needed to make a
41:31
Speaker 2: path forward for himself. Perhaps, deep down he was really
41:39
Speaker 2: in search of any wisdom that would help him get
41:43
Speaker 2: back to the Island of Gems and his beloved. However,
41:51
Speaker 2: even he knew in his heart that he would never
41:55
Speaker 2: find a way back to the Western Queen's domain without
42:00
Speaker 2: her express invitation and a dragon chariot. And what of Aarra,
42:10
Speaker 2: who had disgraced herself at the banquet, had fallen out
42:14
Speaker 2: of the Queen's favor. As soon as the banquet was over.
42:21
Speaker 2: She had been summoned before her sovereign and gravely chastised
42:30
Speaker 2: to be part of the Queen's cord, protected from the
42:34
Speaker 2: concerns of mortals, surrounded by unimaginable beauty. That was a privilege.
42:45
Speaker 2: The ladies who surrounded the queen in this all female
42:50
Speaker 2: cord were meant to stand apart from the world of
42:55
Speaker 2: men as such are Hoar was told she must be banished.
43:05
Speaker 2: Her beautiful clothing was replaced with ordinary robes. Her jeweled
43:13
Speaker 2: combs were returned to the royal wardrobe. Dressed every inch
43:21
Speaker 2: like a mortal maiden, she was packed into a dragon chariot,
43:28
Speaker 2: and her loving sisters pensively bid her farewell. As the
43:36
Speaker 2: chariot stood in the courtyard, Ara made one final request
43:42
Speaker 2: of the Western Queen. She knew that once she left
43:48
Speaker 2: the Island of Gems, she would no longer have the
43:52
Speaker 2: gift of eternal youth. This was a privilege granted to
43:58
Speaker 2: those who sat the queen with a mortal life ahead
44:05
Speaker 2: of her. She begged the queen to let her take
44:09
Speaker 2: one of the magic peaches. Then, she said, at least
44:16
Speaker 2: she would have the years she needed to search for Jeeho,
44:23
Speaker 2: for although he had been returned to the mortal world,
44:28
Speaker 2: his consumption of an entire magic peach was sure to
44:33
Speaker 2: lengthen his life for many generations, if not forever. Although
44:42
Speaker 2: the Western Queen had to maintain a detached image, she
44:48
Speaker 2: was actually very sensitive underneath. Seeing Aarra, one of her
44:56
Speaker 2: dearest maidens, beg for this favor, she could not find
45:01
Speaker 2: it in her heart to refuse the girl. She commanded
45:07
Speaker 2: one of Ara's sisters to bring her a peach, and
45:11
Speaker 2: the girl handed it into the chariot, gently squeezing Ara's
45:19
Speaker 2: hand in sympathy. Then, without further delay, the Queen told
45:26
Speaker 2: the dragon to be gone, and Aara made her last
45:31
Speaker 2: departure from the enchanted island. At this point in the story,
45:41
Speaker 2: time becomes meaningless. Aarah and Jeho made their way in
45:49
Speaker 2: the mortal world, making what seemed like an infinite number
45:54
Speaker 2: of journeys and seeing an infinite number of sunrawes and sunsets.
46:04
Speaker 2: They each saw more moon cycles than they could count.
46:10
Speaker 2: The world that they had at first known slowly evolved
46:16
Speaker 2: and changed around them. Still, whatever enlightenment or dreams they
46:25
Speaker 2: were pursuing, they did not forget one another. This was because,
46:33
Speaker 2: as the Western Queen well knew, a romance forged on
46:39
Speaker 2: the island of Gems was a permanent one. Perhaps that
46:46
Speaker 2: was why she allowed Arah to eat the magic peach.
46:52
Speaker 2: The long life conveyed by that marvelous fruit was not
46:57
Speaker 2: the same as immortality, of course, because of that. As
47:04
Speaker 2: they wandered the world separately, both Aha and Jeho did age, but.
47:12
Speaker 3: Only very slowly.
47:16
Speaker 2: Indeed, their appearances changed at such a gradual rate that
47:22
Speaker 2: a person wouldn't have seen it during their own natural lifetime.
47:29
Speaker 2: To avoid attracting nosis, neither of them ever settled completely
47:35
Speaker 2: among any single group of people. They became beautiful shadows
47:44
Speaker 2: who drifted from one place to another, always finding new
47:51
Speaker 2: wisdom and then quietly leaving. As if a person had
47:58
Speaker 2: been very observant, they might have noticed that each of
48:04
Speaker 2: the two lovers tended to have a beautiful as your
48:10
Speaker 2: pigeon hovering around them. Observing from some distance away, it
48:19
Speaker 2: was as if the little birds watching over them. When
48:26
Speaker 2: nearly a thousand years had passed, Jeeho was living as
48:31
Speaker 2: a mysterious hermit in the mountains. People from neighboring villages
48:39
Speaker 2: would sometimes come to him with small gifts, seeking his wisdom.
48:47
Speaker 2: As long as any of the townspeople could remember, he
48:51
Speaker 2: had been a solitary man with the long white beard
48:57
Speaker 2: and clothing from many dynasties ago, but he seemed to
49:03
Speaker 2: know everything a person could learn about life, and.
49:08
Speaker 3: He was much respected.
49:12
Speaker 2: One day, a young boy came bounding up to the
49:17
Speaker 2: hermit's cottage, calling to him that an elderly lady was
49:22
Speaker 2: traveling the road up the mountain to see him. The
49:29
Speaker 2: lad related that he had passed her on the journey.
49:35
Speaker 2: He had noticed her because of her strangely old fashioned dress.
49:42
Speaker 2: The boy had asked her if she needed help, and
49:46
Speaker 2: she had smiled, saying she was merely in search of
49:50
Speaker 2: the wise hermit who was rumored to live here. Jeeho
49:58
Speaker 2: was used to receiving visitors who had made pilgrimages to
50:02
Speaker 2: his home, so he patted the boy on the head
50:06
Speaker 2: and thanked him, sending him on his way home. With
50:11
Speaker 2: the bit of wisdom the child had come seeking. The
50:17
Speaker 2: boy made his departure, again, passing the lady as he left.
50:25
Speaker 2: Geho squinted into the sun, taking in this solitary figure
50:32
Speaker 2: who approached his remote doorstep. As he scrutinized her, slowly,
50:43
Speaker 2: the hope he had long ago nearly abandoned began to
50:48
Speaker 2: rise in his heart.
50:53
Speaker 3: For there she was. It was Arah.
51:00
Speaker 2: She was now a much older woman, but her beauty
51:03
Speaker 2: was undimmed. Rather, it had refined and matured into something
51:10
Speaker 2: even more luminous. Perhaps it was the bond from the
51:17
Speaker 2: Island of Gems that caused Aara to know Jeho in
51:21
Speaker 2: an instant. Overcome with emotion, the separated lovers walked toward
51:32
Speaker 2: each other and stood hardly, able to believe their eyes.
51:42
Speaker 2: It had taken many centuries, and they had persevered in isolation,
51:49
Speaker 2: but they had found one another in the end. As
51:54
Speaker 2: they clasped hands, unable to find the words they wanted
51:59
Speaker 2: to speak, their attention was drawn to the most amazing sight,
52:10
Speaker 2: and as your pigeon flew into their view. Instinctively, Geho
52:20
Speaker 2: reached out his hand as if to welcome an old friend,
52:29
Speaker 2: but instead of alighting on his palm, the pigeon dropped
52:34
Speaker 2: a peach into his hand. Then it hovered briefly and
52:42
Speaker 2: darted away. Jeeho and Dara gazed at the peach. They
52:53
Speaker 2: both knew what it was smiled at each other. They
53:01
Speaker 2: walked to ghost cottage, where he used a simple knife
53:07
Speaker 2: to divide it into two halves. Then, sitting on a
53:16
Speaker 2: bench in front of his humble home, the two reunited
53:22
Speaker 2: lovers watched the sun set. As they did, each of
53:32
Speaker 2: them very slowly ate one half of the fruit that
53:37
Speaker 2: had changed their destinies. So it was that the Western
53:47
Speaker 2: Queen gave them the precious gift of forgiveness after all
53:53
Speaker 2: their trials. They lingered there through the night, marveling the
54:04
Speaker 2: beauty of the moon and the stars and enjoying each
54:09
Speaker 2: other's company. And when the rays of the sunrise graced
54:18
Speaker 2: the earth for another day, they were once again a
54:23
Speaker 2: young couple with eyes for nobody else.
55:00
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