WEBVTT

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The world began not with a sound, but

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with a color.

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A slow, bruised purple at the edge of

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the sky dissolved into a deep, liquid amber,

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spilling over the jagged ridges of the distant

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mountains.

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Ilyin sat motionless in the bow of his

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wooden skiff, the paddle resting across his knees.

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He didn't want to break the spell.

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Around him, a thick blanket of mist hovered

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just inches above the water,

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curling and uncurling like a sleeping animal.

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It was so quiet he could hear the

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steady, rhythmic thump of his own heart.

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The lake was a polished mirror.

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Every pine tree, every fold of earth on

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the far off peaks, and

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every fiery stroke of the golden sky was

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reflected on the surface with startling

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clarity, blurring the line between water and air.

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As the sun crested the mountains, sending a

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warm shaft of light across the landscape,

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the frost on the reeds along the shore

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glittered like scattered diamonds.

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A solitary crane lifted off from the shallows,

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its wings beating a slow, heavy rhythm against

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the dawn, sending ripples that

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shattered the reflection into shimmering shards of gold

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before the water settled

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once more into absolute, tranquil peace.