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posts/2017-02-14-A-new-short-story.md
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---
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title: A new short story
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author: nek0
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tags: english, writing
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description:
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---
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To battle my recent writer's block, I tried different techniques to come up with
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stories. One of these techniques, working with [story cubes][sc], gave me
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interesting stuff to work with, resulting in the following short story.
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<div class="scripture">
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"Come, we have to go on"\
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said Ari as he reached out to his younger brother Kfir.\
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Kfir stood up after he had stumbled in the searing hot sand of the
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desert.\
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"It's been days. Do you think they still pursue us?"\
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asked Kfir.\
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"I don't know, but I don't want to find out either."\
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his brother responded with a strange look on his face.\
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They were fleeing from the red tower -- the place where they had been
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held since their village had been attacked by men with strange dark skin
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colour and only barely speaking their tongue. Since then they had never
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seen anyone from their village again. They had been kept in hot dungeons
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stinking of filth and decay with just barely enough to eat and drink.
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Every day, people had been taken away from the dungeon, never to return.
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Ari had tricked the guards into opening the door so they could escape
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their uncertain fate into the desert.\
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"Ari, I'm thirsty"\
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"Please don't complain. I'm thirsty, too. You know just as well as I,
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that one apple is all that we have left."\
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After that Kfir fell silent. He was too tired to argue and about to lose
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all hope. For days, he and his brother had been following the stars at
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night. Stars which, some of them, they have never seen before.\
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Kfir stumped weakly after his brother through the sand when he suddenly
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bumped into him.\
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"Do you hear that?"\
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Ari asked.\
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There was a hissing sound in the distance. They looked up into the blue,
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cloudless sky to see where it came from. They saw something falling
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down. With a loud thud, it dropped into a dune in the distance.
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Curiosity befell Kfir. He began to run to the place where the object was
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glimmering in the sand. Ari shouted something, but Kfir didn't listen.
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He ran and ran until he reached the small crater in the sand. There it
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was. A large, white egg with a visible crack in its shell. Ari arrived
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just as Kfir was about to slide down the slope of the crater towards the
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egg.\
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"Wait. We don't know what it is."\
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he said, but that didn't stop Kfir.\
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Kfir slid down to the egg and examined it. It was colder than the
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surrounding sand with a very smooth surface, which glistened with all
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colors of the rainbow. Carefully he knocked on the shell. Suddenly,
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there came a loud wailing noise from the egg and Kfir backed off in
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surprise. Ari came sliding down the slope.\
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"What was that?"\
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he asked with an alarmed voice.\
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"I think there is something inside the egg."\
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Kfir responded and gave the shell another knock. Another heartbreaking
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sound came from it. He dug his fingernails into the crack in the shell
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and tried to pry it open but to no avail.\
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"What are you doing? We don't know what's inside. What if it's
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hostile?"\
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Ari interjected.\
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"You mean more hostile than this desert?"\
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asked Kfir with bitterness in his voice. He heard his brother breathing
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in as if to prepare for a response, but he remained silent in the end.
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Instead, Ari kneeled down to the egg and helped Kfir try to open the
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egg, but even with their strengths combined, they did not succeed in
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prying the egg open. During their attempts the creature inside the egg
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kept on wailing, but each time it seemed increasingly faint.\
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Ari stood up while Kfir was still trying to open the egg.\
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"We need a tool to open this."\
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he said and tapped gently on his brother's back.\
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"Look, there are some cliffs over there. If we carry the egg over there,
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we can open it with a rock."\
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he continued.\
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Together they picked up the egg. It was still surprisingly chilly and a
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lot heavier than it looked. With every shock while carrying the egg the
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creature in it let out a small howl and each of these howls stirred a
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feeling of compassion in Kfir. He was fighting back his tears by the
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time they arrived at the cliffs of red rock. Gently, they lowered the
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egg into the sand, grabbed some sharp rocks and hacked at the shell on
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the spots already weakened with cracks.\
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"Hold on just a little longer, we're nearly finished"\
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Kfir whispered silently with a soothing voice, unsure whether he tried
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to calm himself or the creature inside the egg. They continued until
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finally the eggshell broke in half and out of it emerged, with a joyful
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purr, a colourful turtle. Its skin was of a dark grey colour, but the
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scales on its shell shone in bright colours, each of them in a different
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colour. Both brothers sighed with relief, when they heard the turtle's
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soft purr. Kfir slowly approached the turtle and carefully caressed its
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head. The turtle responded by closing its eyes and purring again.\
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"See? It's not hostile at all"\
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triumphed Kfir with a laugh.\
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The turtle backed off slightly and, with a soft hum, lifted itself in
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the air and floated slowly in Ari's direction. It startled to nibble on
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the pouch he carried on his belt. Both brothers gasped audibly. They had
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never seen anything like this.\
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"Hey! Back off!"\
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shouted Ari after he recovered from his shock, He shoved the turtle
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gently from his pouch. The turtle backed off slowly with a growl. Kfir's
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stomach rumbled.\
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"I'm hungry, too"\
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"This is all we have left, Kfir. We can't just waste it."\
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"I didn't say to give the turtle the whole apple. We could at least
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share it."\
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argued Kfir.\
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Ari sighed and shook his head.\
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"Let's at least go into the shade"\
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he said and went closer to the cliffs. Kfir followed with the turtle.\
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Once they arrived in the shadows of the ragged cliffs Ari took the
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shriveled apple out and broke it into pieces. He gave two to his brother
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and resorted to eating the smallest one himself. Kfir delightedly chewed
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his part of the apple while feeding the other part to the turtle, which
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rested purring on his lap.\
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After finishing their meagre meal they remained in the shadow of the
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cliffs for the remainder of the day. Kfir spent most of the time
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sleeping and the turtle did not leave his side. Ari also found the time
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to catch some sleep.\
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As soon as the setting sun touched the horizon a deep rumble shook the
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cliffs. The stones began to move and the sand began to shift. Great
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black claws emerged from the sand and tried to grab the brothers. They
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managed to evade each of the attacks, but could not escape because of
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the shaking ground. Ari grabbed Kfir by the waist and tried jumping off
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the cliffs. He succeeded to jump down to where the sand had shifted
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away, just to see that under the claws waited a giant orifice full of
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sharp teeth. Two yellow protruding eyes leered maliciously at the
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brothers. The sand was still shifting and dragging them towards their
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certain doom, when with a howling sound the turtle came floating down.
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The brothers grabbed the turtle by its shell and the turtle started
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lifting them out of the danger. Just as they were about to get away,
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another claw emerged from the sand and grabbed Ari by the leg.\
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"You go on without me! It can't lift us both!"\
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Ari shouted over the roaring of the shifting sand and rumbling rocks. He
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let go of the turtles shell. Kfir reached out. He wanted his brother to
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live. He missed Ari's hand by just a small distance.\
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With tears in his eyes Kfir looked back and watched as his brother was
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dragged towards the maw. He struggled against the grip of the mighty
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black claw holding his leg, but he was mercilessly dragged inside the
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orifice of the giant crab and crushed by its mighty mandibles. Without
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Ari's weight the turtle increased rapidly in speed and left the place of
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horror with Kfir on its back.\
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They flew night and day until Kfir almost couldn't hold on the turtle's
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shell any longer when a giant tree appeared on the horizon, its branches
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reaching far into the clouds. As they approached he could see houses
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built into the boughs and towers and gates on the outermost branches.
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Giant birds transporting people and goods on large saddles filled the
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air around the tree coming to the gates and leaving in the distance.
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Kfir directed the turtle gently towards the nearest gate, where they
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landed safely. His legs were weak so he stumbled more than he walked
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towards the gate followed by the turtle which floated in midair.\
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Just before before Kfir could cross the gate and enter the city, he
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heard a sharp call.\
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"Halt! Who are you and what is your desire in Oulian?"\
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Guards emerged from both sides of the gate. He was too tired and worn
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out to respond and broke down on the spot.\
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"bring water and bring him to the palace!"\
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were the last words he heard, before his mind turned blank.
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Kfir woke up in a warm and comfortable bed. He sat up and looked around.
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The room he was in was gorgeous. Beautiful paintings covered the walls
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and the furniture was of unparalleled craftsmanship. He had been washed
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and wore clean clothes with a flowery scent. Beside his bed on a small
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table rested a carafe full of water. He immediately grabbed it and
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emptied it in no time. He had been thirsty beyond measure. As he stood
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up he heard a familiar purring sound. The turtle lay on a cushion beside
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his bed and lifted itself in the air as soon as it saw him. Softly the
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turtle nudged Kfir and he began caressing its head when suddenly the
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door opened and a young woman entered the room.\
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"Thanks to the tree, you are awake."\
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She exclaimed with joy.\
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"Where am I?"\
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Kfir asked. It was not his first time waking up in an unknown room, but
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this time it at least seemed a lot nicer than in the red tower.\
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"You are in Oulian Palace, residence of King Bialden. His highness wants
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to see you and your turtle. My name, by the way, is Issajana."\
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she answered, opened the door again and beckoned him out of the room.\
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Kfir followed her through the corridors of the palace. They were of
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breathtaking beauty. He stopped at a large window for a while and looked
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outside. The palace was at the center of the treetop. Outside was a
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great bustle with birds flying to and fro carrying all kinds of things
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and people. The roads on the large branches of the tree ware also very
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lively with merchant stands and people.\
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He followed Issajana deeper into the palace, until they finally entered
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a large hall. It was decorated with the finest paintings of the whole
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palace and on the floor were excellent rugs. On a platform in the middle
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of the room stood a single throne. Soft flute music was playing in the
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background. They entered the hall until they stood before the throne.
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The king sitting on the throne was a frail old man, looking sickly with
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his pale skin.\
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"This is the mysterious foreigner, I presume"\
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said the king with a soft voice.\
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"What is your name, boy?"\
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He asked scrutinizing Kfir.\
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"My name is Kfir, your highness."\
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"Do you know what kind of animal you have as company?"\
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The king inquired further.\
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"It's a floating turtle. I don't know what it's called."\
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Kfir answered. He was surprised about the king's interest in the
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animal.\
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"This animal is called a 'Cloud Glider' and is believed to be extinct.
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It is said its tears can heal any wound and illness."\
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The king explained with a sigh.\
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"You see, I am very ill and my healers are unable to help me. It is a
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strange whim of fate for you and your companion to arrive at the gates
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of my city. Would you allow your companion to heal me and receive my
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eternal gratitude?"\
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Kfir looked at the turtle and the turtle looked back. It seemed that it
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had understood the whole conversation and nodded slightly.\
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"I will allow it, but I have a condition. I want to erect a tombstone
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for my brother, who sacrificed his life to save ours."\
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The king didn't need long to consider this offer.\
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"I agree. You will be given a spot on the palace grounds and the
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services of my master mason for your tombstone. Your brother's bravery
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has to be remembered."\
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As the king finished, the turtle purred softly and floated towards him.
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A single teardrop rolled down the turtle's cheek and fell onto the
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king's open hand, where it landed as a clear little gem.\
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"I thank you so much. I will have everything arranged for you. Be my
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guest in the meantime."\
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said the king, still looking at the little gem in his hand.\
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In the next days Kfir spent time with the king's mason, who made a great
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tombstone of marvellous artisanship for Ari. With finally a place to
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mourn for his brother, Kfir arranged a symbolic funeral for him.\
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The king grew fond of Kfir in the time he recovered from his illness and
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endowed him a small house in his city.\
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As the years went on, Kfir spent time looking for his native village on
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the back of his cloud glider he named Anani, but he never found his
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village nor the red tower and with the years passing he spent more and
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more time in Oulian until the death of king Bialden, who, being
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childless his whole life, named Kfir his successor.
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</div>
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[sc]: https://www.storycubes.com/
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